BNZ first NZ bank on Android

Media Release For immediate release 3 August 2011

BNZ first NZ bank on Android

BNZ has become the first New Zealand bank to launch an internet banking application designed specifically for Android smartphone users, and one of the first in Australasia to build, from the ground up, a native internet banking application for Android.

The release means that BNZ now offers customers a full suite of mobile banking services covering both Android and Apple iOS powered smartphones along with a purpose built mobile banking website for everything else.

Users of the BNZ Mobile Android app can enjoy identical functionality to their iPhone-using friends through a condensed, but feature-rich version of BNZ internet banking. Android-toting BNZ customers will now be able to view balances, transfer funds and pay bills while enjoying the speed and convenience of a purpose built Android app.

Rogan Clarke, head of BNZ online, says the explosive growth of the smartphone market coupled with a new generation of constantly connected customers who expect to be able to get things done on the go is behind the Bank’s recent push into mobile.

“We’ve seen a lot of pent up customer demand for mobile banking. Our iPhone app has been downloaded more than 15,000 times in just a few weeks and the feedback on it has been overwhelmingly positive. We knew from the outset that Android users deserved the same experience and when you take into account the exponential growth the platform is experiencing, it was even more important for us to get this app out there. BNZ now has the most complete suite of mobile solutions of any bank in New Zealand” says Mr Clarke.

Google’s Android operating system is experiencing rapid growth with over 100 million Android powered devices now in use and a further 500,000 being activated globally every day* . The BNZ website has seen a massive 1313% growth in visits from Android devices in the 12 months to June 2011 mirroring the surge in uptake that has seen Android claim nearly half the global smartphone market**.

While the things have moved swiftly since the iPhone app was launched in July, mobile banking is not something the bank rushed into, points out Mr Clarke.

“Security and making sure the user experience was solid from the outset were our top priorities. You can’t have one without the other in our view, so our in-house development team in Wellington have put in the hard yards over many months to ensure these three BNZ Mobile services are world class. BNZ Mobile offers all the security of our main internet banking website along with a silky smooth, mobile experience”

BNZ’s Android app is available now via the Android Market.

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