Alliance & Leicester is to launch a mobile phone
banking service in the new year, although it will offer few
spending options to start with.
The service will be run via the Monilink network, which allows
customers to securely access their bank accounts on their mobile
phone, wherever they are.
Customers who register for the service will have on-demand
access to mini-statements and balance enquiries from their mobile
phone using Monilink's secure application.
Customers with a pre-pay mobile phone account will also be able
to top up their mobile directly from their Alliance & Leicester
bank account – the only way they can actually move funds from their
account.
The service is protected by a personal pass code and any
information displayed is automatically deleted. No personal details
are stored on the handset itself, ensuring that information remains
secure, even if the handset is lost or stolen.
Ian Tandy, director of e-commerce at Alliance & Leicester,
said, "The service will initially allow customers to check their
balance and recent transactions, as well as top up pre-pay mobile
phone accounts. We expect new services to be added in the
future."
Future services could extend the range of services available
using Monilink. These could include the ability to access other
accounts, transfer money, and pay bills directly from the handset –
the Holy Grail of secure mobile commerce for most banks.
To register, customers simply download an application, which
will be available from Alliance & Leicester's website. The
service has been developed by Monitise (a division of Morse) and
Link (the UK's ATM interchange network).
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