Online banking going mobile

Moneybookers, one of Europe’s largest online payment systems, and Clickatell, leading provider of global mobile messaging solutions, have announced a partnership to offer mobile SMS alerts on transactions for over 5 million eWallet customers. Moneybookers customers can now receive text notifications directly to their cell phone anytime, anywhere, when purchases are completed, goods are mailed or money transfers are wired. This brings an advantage in terms of security, as customers always have an overview of the transfers on the account and can cancel unwanted transactions immediately.

Moneybookers, a pioneer in the application of payment systems into new formats and technologies using channels such as Facebook, is now also a leader in the evolution of online banking to mobile banking with the launch of an SMS-based system powered by Clickatell. As the penetration of handsets continues to expand and users move towards widespread adoption of the mobile phone, banking customers will increasingly demand mobile access to their accounts.

“Our customers don’t want to be chained to their offices and be required to stay in front of their PCs when transacting on the Internet”, commented Nikolai Riesenkampff, Co-CEO of Moneybookers. “We see clear advantages of SMS for fast implementation and inherent ease of use for our customers. Clickatell was able to immediately incorporate mobile options into our eWallet service and provides us the assurances that our customers will get the information they need when they need it - anywhere, anytime.”

“Because of our experience with financial services organizations and established global reach, Clickatell is best positioned to deploy mobile money initiatives via text messaging,” said Pieter de Villiers, CEO of Clickatell. “With leading brands having already deployed mobile payments, mobile money transfers, mobile banking, and foreign currency exchange solutions, Clickatell is fast emerging as a leader in this rapidly growing market.”