26/11/2007
London, New York and Wellington, 22 November 2007Kiwibank, a young New Zealand bank known for its innovative approach to banking, has won the Financial Innovation Award for ‘Best Direct Channels Initiative – Mobile Phone category’ offered by the ifs School of Finance. This accolade, which was presented at the Financial Innovation Awards Ceremony in London last night, is further recognition of Kiwibank’s successful mobile banking services.
Fronde Anywhere, a leading provider of mobile products for the financial services and corporate sectors, partnered with Kiwibank to provide the technology behind this award winning mobile banking solution. The Kiwibank mobile banking facility enables a customer to use a mobile phone for virtually all the banking services available on the Internet. This includes viewing account balances and transactions, transferring funds between accounts and making payments to other parties.
Gary Millner, director of Corporate Relations and Communications at the ifs School of Finance, said: "The ifs Financial Innovation Awards are now firmly established as one of the most prestigious in the financial services industry. Entries from organisations across the globe combined with a rigorous judging process mean that those who win one of the award categories, such as Kiwibank can take pride in having truly excelled in the industry. Put simply, the awards have again provided a great opportunity for innovators in the financial services industry to gain recognition for their efforts."
Fronde Anywhere executive vice president, products and marketing, Caroline Dewe, was in London to collect the award on Kiwibank’s behalf. "We’re absolutely delighted to be recognised internationally alongside Kiwibank at these prestigious awards," she said. "It reinforces Kiwibank’s strong growth and commitment to mobile banking as a key part of its multi channel strategy."
Sam Knowles, CEO of Kiwibank commented: "It's incredibly exciting for a small bank like Kiwibank, in partnership with Fronde Anywhere, to get this kind of international recognition. At Kiwibank, we see mobile banking as the way of the future, and we are continually committed to being at the forefront of technical innovation."
The development of Kiwibank’s Mobile Banking solution was a considerable and highly complex technical achievement and involved Kiwibank and both mobile network providers, working together to achieve some notable ground breaking achievements. This has subsequently led and shifted the market. Every bank in New Zealand is in the process of incorporating mobile banking services into their multi channel offerings.
About the award: This award recognises how an organisation has made strides forward in improving or innovating in the area of non-face to face or Internet services. As well as creating a valuable product, service or feature offered through direct channels that make the organisation stand out from the crowd. Kiwibank contended against large international banks including Alliance & Leicester, Banco Sabadell, Barclays Bank and Fortis all with similar mobile phone based offerings.
About Fronde Anywhere: Fronde Anywhere offers mobile banking, payment and two factor authentication solutions for retail banks and the wider financial services industry. Its portfolio of user-friendly solutions enable customers to make payments and bank transactions via their mobile device from any location. Fronde Anywhere’s mobile technology provides enhanced security for authenticated access to online banking or remote networks. The company has built its reputation on the proven delivery and implementation of first to market mobile products and solutions that deliver real business benefits to its clients. Fronde Anywhere is part of Fronde Systems Group, which serves clients in Europe, North America, Australasia and South East Asia from its offices in London, New York, Singapore and New Zealand.For further information visit http://www.frondeanywhere.com/
Press contacts for Fronde Anywhere Natalie Shamshoum or George. Hayleynatalie.shamshoum@metia.com or george.hayley@metia.com. Metia: Tel +44 (0) 20 3100 3655
Press Contact for Kiwibank: Bruce Thompson, Communications manager, Kiwibank. Bruce.thompson@kiwibank.co.nz. Tel +64 460 6831