News and Events

R-Style Conference, Amsterdam

2013-06-19T10:04:14Z

R-Style Conference, Amsterdam

IND participates on the upcoming conference of R-Style, organized for top management of 20 major Russian banks.

The conference will take place in on June 26th–28th 2013 in Hotel de l'Europe Amsterdam.

Business content will cover innovative solutions for banking.

IND presents on the 27th of June, our presenters will be:

József Nyíri - Chief Innovator of IND Group (presentation in English)
Denis Pashchenko - Sales Representative of IND Group in CIS countries (presentation in Russian)

Target audience:

High-profile decision makers of Russian Banks

Come and meet us at the event!

Banking Innovation Day in Bucharest

2013-06-06T12:50:11Z

Banking Innovation Day in Bucharest

On 29 May, the third edition of the Banking Innovation Day took place in the Intercontinental Hotel of Bucharest, an annual event organized by IND Group with the support of Finmedia. It brought together over 100 experts from the domestic banking sector, focusing on, as the title of the event suggests, innovation in general, on ideas that can lead to an accelerated improvement of customers' experience with banks and on identifying the most appropriate ways of making more efficient the sales of credit institutions via online channels.

During three hours of presentations and debates it became clear that IND's innovation laboratories continuously discover how today's digital banking is going to change and affect all those who have business with such institutions. The topics tackled showed the manner in which high-class online services could change customer attitude and banks' perception regarding the latters' offers.

One of the main conclusions of the event was that the new generation of online services does not offer only better functionalities and superior capabilities, but it also directly supports customer retention policies, enhancing its value and profitability in general.

"Lately, banks have been competing to cut costs related to their selling channels, orienting customers toward the online environment, reaching now the conclusion that, today, they can sell only where customers are located. Since customers are on the move more and more and connected almost all the time, banks have to reconsider urgently their selling strategies. Classical banners and advertisements cannot help any longer; they need other methods and practices that are efficient", said Roland Pecsenye, founder and CEO of IND Group.

He told the assistance about "energising" digital banking via the "Triple-E" Formula: E-Bankify (how the interface of internet banking influences and consolidates brand awareness), E-ngage (how to encourage customers to spend, due to some value-added services, more time with online banking) and E-Selling (how selling can be enhanced in the digital banking era).

Invited in the conference, Bogdan Octavian Marin, Executive Director, Retail Channels Management Division in BCR contemplated the substantial changes in the online services portfolio provided by BCR and the key challenges induced by innovation at an accelerated pace.

In a second section of the event, Philippe Racine, Head of Ekomini products at IND Group, presented the audience a new and interesting algorithm for the financial education of children and families which, via simple and captivating instruments integrated with the IND platforms, can train and educate new generations of banking customers.

Andreea Elena Enache, Director of the Business Customers Division of ProCredit Bank, told the audience about the experience of implementing, in only 9 months, an IND Group customized solution that helped the bank to upgrade from classical online banking services to a global and complete support solution via an online business platform for SMEs, their biggest group of customers.

The event ended with a very interesting demo session led by Adam Kiss, Senior Product Manager at IND Innovation Labs, presenting unique functionalities of the IND Group solutions.

Original article (in Romanian) is available here.

MKB Bank, Key Client of IND, Wins Recent Online Banking Survey

2013-05-30T09:52:08Z

MKB Bank, Key Client of IND, Wins Recent Online Banking Survey

We are very proud that based on the opinion of more than 500 people, MKB online banking interface has been evaluated the best in Hungary!

Bankmonitor.hu's online survey included 11 top banks in Hungary and the main aspects of evaluation were design, user experience, ease-of-use and functionality.

The survey also showed that nearly 50 percent of respondents would use a financial management and planner function as well as a mobile banking app for smartphones.

The survey results support our opinion that the importance of online banking channel continues its increase – 80 percent of the respondents visit their branch 4 times a year or less, in contrary to more than 50 percent entering their online bank on a weekly basis.

MKB has recognized this trend in time which is proved again by this excellent result.

Congratulations!

Misys Chooses IND Group’s Digital Banking Solutions

2013-04-02T13:53:43Z

Misys Chooses IND Group’s Digital Banking Solutions

A world-known banking technology company Misys has chosen IND digital banking products in expanding their banking frontend portfolio. The cooperation is yet another sign of IND's top position in the field of digital banking innovations.

We are proud to announce that the banking technology giant Misys has chosen IND Group's innovative frontend solutions for its new range of online and mobile banking portfolio. Misys is a multinational software provider with 1,800 customers in 120 countries and the broadest portfolio of banking, treasury, trading and risk solutions available on the market.

Responding to changing customer needs and requirements, Misys decided to broaden their portfolio with banking frontend solutions and found IND, one of the most innovative digital banking technology providers. Adding to the numerous awards recently won by IND Group and our clients, this is yet another recognition for our best-in-class digital banking solutions. The innovative digital banking solutions allow banks to provide a better customer experience of the online banking service, to optimise their costs as customers migrate from branches to digital channels and, last but not least, to utilize online sales capabilities.

„It is a great honour for us that a world-known company chose our solutions for expanding their portfolio. As banking itself is not a very exciting process, service providers that manage to make it a positive customer experience have a clear advantage. We also provide solutions, such as the personal finance planner, that can significantly improve the sales processes", Balazs Vinnai, CEO of IND Group, commented on the cooperation.

Alior Awarded for Alior Sync Once Again

2013-03-18T11:32:29Z

Alior Awarded for Alior Sync Once Again

The winners of "Lider Informatyki Instytucji Finansowych 2012" were announced on the 13th of March, 2013 at the Technology Gala in Warsaw.

In the "Leader of Financial Institutions 2012" banking newspaper Gazeta Bankowa gave awards for the best implementation of information systems. The winners were chosen from several dozen candidates, a record number in the 11-year history of the competition.

The main prize in the banking sector and the title of "Leader Bank in 2012" was given to Alior Bank. Alior Bank won in the category Banking and e-finance for their virtual bank Alior Sync. Alior Sync technology was developed by IND Group. Also Alior Bank for Mobile won in a new category, Security in banking.

For more info and all winners see here (in Polish).

Read the Alior story here.

IND Presents at 16th Projectmanagement Forum

2013-03-13T16:23:47Z

IND Presents at 16th Projectmanagement Forum

The 16th Project Management Forum will be held on April 4 and it intends to develop the working relationships between functional managers, project owners and project managers by presenting the latest developments and future plans of major projects.

By tradition the Forum hosts the annual meeting of project owners and project managers from various industries and provides opportunities to network and share experiences.

IND's Project Director, Mr Sándor Komócsi will be one of the presenters of the Forum. He will speak about the innovation and product developments of IND Group at the "Innovation and Agility" plenary session.

You can find more information about the event here (in Hungarian).

Alior Bank Selected “Bank to Watch in 2013”

2013-03-18T11:43:18Z

Alior Bank Selected “Bank to Watch in 2013”

Alior Bank is among the 13 banks The Banker has identified to keep an eye on in the coming year based on a variety of factors.

Poland-based Alior Bank has been selected for its unique strategy in the overcrowded Polish market.

The bank broke even 20 months after opening, and enjoyed Poland's fastest client acquisition three years in a row, maintaining a 50:50 balance between retail and corporate business. The lean model distribution network is now the third largest in Poland, based entirely in high footfall locations.

Alior has no own-name ATMs, but offers customers free use of any ATM anywhere in the world. That has particular attractions for the many Polish expatriate workers across the EU. With the launch of Alior Sync in June 2012, it has a full-service virtual bank that includes access to credit and investment products online, complete with documentation uploading.

Source: The Banker Editorial, 1st February 2013. See The Banker's entire article here.

Alior Bank is the Golden Bank 2012

2013-02-28T15:26:58Z

Alior Bank is the Golden Bank 2012

Alior Bank has won the most awards in the 4th annual "Golden Banker 2012" (Złote Bankiery) awards.

Internet users and experts chose the best banking products of last year in "Golden Banker 2012", organized by PayU SA, a provider of the online payment and financial portal Bankier.pl.

Alior Bank proved unbeatable taking home several awards and thus earning the title Golden Bank 2012.

Out of 12 awards Alior won in the product category:

the best private account for internet user
the best cash loan
the best mobile banking
the best SME account for internet user

And in the special category:

the most innovative product 2012
personality of the year: Wojciech Sobieraj, president of Alior Bank

Congratulations to Alior!

We are especially happy for the recognition received by the Alior Sync Mobile Banking app, which runs on IND digital banking technology.

More information on the awards can be found here.

Read the Alior story here.

New IND Innovation on German Banking App Market: InnoWallet Photopay

2013-02-28T14:46:31Z

New IND Innovation on German Banking App Market: InnoWallet Photopay

New innovative app developed by IND Group enables bank independent photo transactions

Munich, 21st of February 2013 – „InnoWallet PhotoPay" , the new banking app by IND Group is now available on the German market.

In less than a minute, the app recognizes the needed data of the transmittance slip and conducts the payment with the familiar Mobile Banking.

Despite the digitalisation trend and the decline of paper based payment procedures, there are still over 950 billion transmittance slips issued every year!

Studies show that one third of banking customers who regularly use the online channels log in to the online banking system via their mobile devices. Furthermore 58% of the German clients prefer to order online and pay the bill later.

The bothersome typing of the transaction data in the online banking system or even the visit to the branch do however cause much more effort than considered convenient by customers. The digital generation does therefore demand a fast, straightforward and safe method to easily manage the payment of transmittance slips on the go. To fill this gap on the German banking market IND Group - known for over 15 years experience in the field of digital banking - has developed a new unique app. Payments can be done in only four steps: Download the app, scan the transmittance slip with the camera of the smartphone, confirm the transaction data and proceed with the payment.

Outstanding fact about InnoWallet: Users can use photo transaction regardless of their bank. The user group is thus not limited to one single customer group like in various other mobile solutions but is available for everyone and now in all app stores.

More information at http://www.innowallet.de
Download and try the app now!

IND Opens New Office in Moscow

2013-01-30T11:13:17Z

IND Opens New Office in Moscow

We are delighted to announce that after entering the Russian markets over three years ago, the time has come to expand our operations in the region even further. IND Group will open an office in Moscow from 1st of February!

The new office will ensure local support to our innovative digital banking software products and services.

Complementing our seven existing offices in six countries, we will now open a new one in Moscow. Digital banking services are growing in Russia and consumers are adopting Internet and mobile banking at a fast rate. We have created several valuable banking contacts during the past years and are convinced that Russian banks and their customers are open for our innovative digital banking solutions. We are very excited and look forward to new business in the Russian market.

BOV Awarded Again for Innovation

2013-01-04T09:27:49Z

BOV Awarded Again for Innovation

Bank of Valletta’s BOV Mobile has been awarded in Financial World Innovation Awards (FWIA) 2012 for their innovation in customer propositions and product design.

BOV Mobile is a combined mobile payments and mobile banking app, launched in March 2012 – the first banking smartphone app to be launched in Malta. It is the result of a new and ground-breaking vision, strategy and product design process that has transformed the way the Bank of Valletta develops and implements engaging customer propositions. The technical background was provided by IND Group and we receive this recognition with thanks and congratulate BOV for another award!

See here for more info on FWIA and BOV’s article.

BOV Chosen as Best Mobile Application

2013-01-04T09:28:26Z

BOV Chosen as Best Mobile Application

Bank of Valletta has won the Best Mobile Application Award for its Mobile Payments and Mobile Banking application in this year's eBusiness Awards.

The awards were organised by the Malta Communications Authority (MCA) for the second time on 27th November in Floriana. The awards are aimed at acknowledging unique and innovative local web-based solutions applied by businesses for businesses and society at large.

BOV Mobile is the first mobile banking application to be launched by any of the banks operating in Malta and it also features the first person to person mobile payments service – BOV Mobile Pay. BOV Mobile has opened up a new way of making electronic transactions and payments via smart phones, presenting a new convenient way for customers to interact with the Bank. As the solution provider IND Group is very happy and proud to hear about this recognition.

Congratulations to Bank of Valletta!

See here the list of winners and more info on the awards ceremony on BOV's website.

Alior Bank Awarded for Sync Solution

2013-01-04T09:28:50Z

Alior Bank Awarded for Sync Solution

We are proud to announce that our client Alior Bank has won "Best Internet Banking Services Provider" for their Sync solution at "2012 Banking Technology Awards".

Congratulations!

Alior Bank is the first Polish bank to receive this prestigious award in the international competition "Banking Technology Awards" in the "Best Internet Banking Services Provider" category.

See the winners list here!

The prize was given in recognition for the innovative solutions used by Alior Sync - the first fully virtual bank of the next generation.

You can find more information in Polish here!

Mobile Banking and PFM Undervalued in Germany

2012-12-04T17:11:02Z

Mobile Banking and PFM Undervalued in Germany

Average German user spends less than a minute a year in direct contact with their bank. On the contrary, he spends over 400 minutes in the online branch. How can banks achieve a high level of trust and build a good relationship with customers in less than one minute? It’s impossible. In addition, the majority of the financial institutions do not manage to get customers into the branches: 60% of the customers did not enter a branch at all last year.

Considering these numbers raises the question of how banks can create additional value for the customers, and how to respond to today’s market developments. The online banking systems today are mainly focused on transactions. Without having the possibility to consult the customers, nor sell products efficiently, financial institutions do not benefit from these 400 minutes at all. Personal Finance Management (PFM) provides a solution to this problem. Modern customers require a deep insight into their financial possibilities, want to be entertained and manage saving goals and budgets independently. PFM aims to teach people financial literacy, in order to reach more goals and dreams – managing finances with a higher awareness.

In this context, it is also interesting to see remarkable shifts with regard to customer touch points. For the first time, Germany announced a higher figure of sold smartphones than sold laptops and computers together. Already 20% of the online banking logins are made from smartphones and from the beginning of this year the number of mobile accesses has increased over 300%. In his new book, “Banking 3.0”, Brett King shows how the different channels will be used by 2015: mobile banking will be in the first place, followed by online banking and leaving cash machines third. In this ranking the branch is merely in the last place.

IND Group Becomes Associate Efma Member

2012-10-24T09:06:37Z

IND Group Becomes Associate Efma Member

IND Group has recently joined Efma, a global not-for-profit organisation, brings together more than 3300 retail financial services companies from over 130 countries. IND Group is now an associate member of Efma.

With a membership base consisting of almost a third of all large retail banks worldwide, Efma has proven to be a valuable resource for the global industry, offering members exclusive access to a multitude of resources, databases, studies, articles, news feeds and publications. Efma also provides numerous networking opportunities through working groups, online communities and international meetings.

Efma was formed in 1971 by bankers and insurers to encourage their colleagues to share experiences, promote the best practices of their institution, and collaborate through alliances and partnerships. Through regular events, publications, and a comprehensive website, the association provides members with support related to developing and selling financial products, rebuilding distribution networks, managing customer relationships and improving performance and profitability.

IND’s Clients Scoop Awards - “World's Best Banks 2012” Award for BOV

2012-10-16T11:53:09Z

IND’s Clients Scoop Awards - “World's Best Banks 2012” Award for BOV

Following the last week's BAI - Finacle Global Banking Innovation Award for Alior Bank, another key client of ours, Bank of Valletta has won both the "Best Consumer" and the "Best Corporate Internet Bank" awards for its cutting-edge internet banking service. The online banking technology had been provided by IND.

Global Finance has announced the First Round winners in the "World's Best Internet Banks" competition. First Round winners include Best Corporate/Institutional Internet Banks and Best Consumer Internet Banks. Winners were also selected in Asia, North America, Latin America, CEE and Middle East/Africa.

Winners were chosen among entries evaluated by a world-class panel of judges at Infosys. Global Finance editors were responsible for the final selection of winners in the First Round.

Winning banks were selected based on the following criteria:

strength of strategy for attracting and servicing online customers,
success in getting clients to use web offerings,
growth of online customers, breadth of product offerings,
evidence of tangible benefits gained from Internet initiatives, and
web site design and functionality.

Bank of Valletta has won both the "Best Consumer" and the "Best Corporate Internet Bank" awards for its cutting-edge internet banking service.

Bank of Valletta Group is a leading provider of value and relationship-based financial services, committed to service excellence in assisting its customers to find the best solutions to their financial needs. Bank of Valletta wishes to provide convenient access to a wide range of financial services and to guarantee a very high security-level. They aim to guide the clients towards online financial services and to save time for higher level personal consultancy at the branch offices.

Information Technology played an important role in supporting and implementing the Bank's strategy. The applied technology intertwined Internet Banking, Call Center Banking, Telephone Banking and Mobile Banking services of BOV. Bank of Valletta offers a number of real multi-channel solutions with the assistance of IND Group. Their 24x7 channels enable customers to do their banking over the internet no matter where they are. They were the first bank in Malta to introduce this service, and the first to offer mobile banking earlier this year.

Read more on Bank of Valletta's website!

More information about the Global Finance's "World Best Banks 2012" awards and all the winners: HERE

Congratulations to Alior!

2013-01-04T09:30:41Z

Congratulations to Alior!

One of IND Group’s key clients, Alior Bank, recently received the prestigious Disruptive Innovation in Banking Award for their Alior Sync brand and ‘for changing the banking services market’ of BAI - Finacle Global Banking Innovation Awards.

On its third anniversary Alior Bank announced the launch of the first virtual bank in Poland, Alior Sync. The virtual bank's products and services target customers open for the latest technologies and innovative solutions. At the same time with the virtual branch, Alior launched a Facebook transfer service, that has been met with a warm response. Although the BAI award was given to Alior Bank, a part of it is also thanks to the innovative frontline technology provided by IND Group. Already in June, when Alior Sync was launched, it was clear that IND had created a truly innovative, game changing and unique bank, and that has now been recognized and shown to the entire global banking community.

Read the Alior story here!

Alior Sync is a progressive, virtual bank that offers full-service banking via a virtual platform with a contemporary means of communication for its target segment, customers between the ages of 20 to 35. The innovative model of operations eases the facilitation of processes involved in offerings and sales of products and services, such as a fully online credit process -- a first in Poland.

Click here to read the whole article!

Source: MARKETWIRE

FinovateFall 2012 Interview with József Nyíri

2012-10-01T10:42:47Z

FinovateFall 2012 Interview with József Nyíri

Please read here the interview of Check 'n Go FinLab with our Chief Innovator, Mr. József Nyiri. He talks about the FinovateFall 2012 event and bringing financial innovation to everyday consumers.

FinLab by Check 'n Go—the financial innovations blog dedicated to bringing people the latest trends in online, mobile, and digital finance. They highlight new products, emerging technologies, and innovative companies in the online finance industry, delivering top-notch insights and analysis on everything from digital coupons to mobile payments.

You can find the the audio version of the interview clicking here.

IND Shakes Up the World of Online Financial Management

2012-09-14T11:50:17Z

IND Shakes Up the World of Online Financial Management

13th September 2012, New York City – IND Group, an innovative digital banking software vendor, has officially launched its newest version of IND Personal Finance Manager, called “IND PFM 3.0 - Story of My Finances”, today at the most prestigious financial innovations event, FinovateFall 2012 in New York.

Paradigm shift in PFM services: IND PFM 3.0 – ‘Story of My Finances'

This entirely new approach in digital financial customer service takes online banking and financial management to the next level of mass retail financial planning and advice.

Personal finance management services offered either by banks or independent financial providers are on the right track to become the most important online financial tool which empowers people to take charge of their financial lives. But despite the rich functionality of these useful tools, the adoption of the services is not as fast as earlier expected.

Most of the banks offer nearly the same functions: spending categorization, setting up savings goals or even an overview of net worth, but in most cases these features are presented in a very conventional, unified and dull way. These old-school PFMs are often perceived as hard to use and confusing. In addition there is the unavoidable human factor: banking is boring, time consuming and assumes profound financial awareness as well as a prudent way of thinking. Despite the obvious usefulness of PFM tools, these are all serious hurdles that result in low usage and a high churn rate.

We at IND Group strongly believe that PFM can be much better. By placing the customers at the centre, we have reshaped the traditional idea of PFM to meet the end-users' everyday needs. Instead of functions and features we have developed stories that are real life situations, emerging from time to time in different stages of our lives and having financial impact, such as "Expecting a baby", "Prepare for a rainy day", "Buy a home", "How to spend less" or "Retirement planning".

These stories are the missing link between everyday people and financial products. The stories are processes, rather than snapshots, which the end-customer has to initiate, develop and improve through their actions. The principal goal is the opportunity for the bank to provide financial advice and to recommend related and relevant banking products – the right product, in the right place, at the right time.

József Nyíri, Founder and Chief Innovator of IND, said: "We believe that we are able to turn banking from a stressful and boring activity to fun, which results in a better and healthier financial life, or as we call it "financial fitness" for everyone. We are not forcing prosy functions on our users: with step-by-step creation wizards, expert advice, community support and many user stories we offer solutions to problems and desires customers have, from childhood to retirement."

Balázs Vinnai, CEO and Founder of IND, added: "Banks are reinforced to increase up- and cross-sell and also to strengthen customer retention. Therefore they cannot avoid undertaking the task of improving people's financial literacy. In other words, they need to make private banking services available for all, a goal impossible to reach without a supporting technology like our IND PFM 3.0".

IND Group Launches New Solution to Help Customers with Financial Planning

2012-09-13T14:43:12Z

IND Group Launches New Solution to Help Customers with Financial Planning

13th September, 2012 - New York City, FinovateFall 2012 - Today IND Group presented our new concept: "Story of my Finances"

Story of My Finances is a completely new approach to digital financial customer service. It takes online banking and PFM to a next level of mass retail financial planning and advice.

Stories are customer-driven financial life processes, like "How to spend less", "Prepare for a rainy day", "Buy a home" or "Retirement planning." Stories help end-customers to get financially fit and to have a peace of mind. Stories are the missing link between everyday people and financial products. We believe that we can improve people's financial life by licensing our white-label technology to financial institutions.

Video of the presentation coming soon!

Read more about it here!

Balazs Vinnai was awarded at Inside 2012

2012-09-11T15:40:39Z

Balazs Vinnai was awarded at Inside 2012

IND Group's CEO, Dr. Balazs Vinnai received a prestigious award: he received the highest number of votes on IT Business's Top 25 online poll, which aimed to find the most successful IT manager of 2012.

See the mood movie of the Inside 2012 event with our CEO, Balazs Vinnai!

source: www.itbusiness.hu

Alior Sync Finalist in BAI-Finacle Global Banking Innovations Awards

2012-09-20T12:35:17Z

Alior Sync Finalist in BAI-Finacle Global Banking Innovations Awards

We are proud that one of our key clients, the Polish Alior Sync has been nominated in the "Disruptive Innovation Award" category of BAI-Finacle Global Banking Innovations Awards 2012.

IND Group delivered the innovative front-line for all Alior Sync's virtual branch, including online and mobile banking, personal finance manager and also the background for the first Facebook money transfer in the world.

Click here to see more about Alior Sync project!

The global awards program by BAI and Finacle recognizes and supports innovation in the retail banking industry. The 2012 BAI-Finacle Global Banking Innovation Awards highlight the best in class organizations from around the world that demonstrate breakthrough innovation, positively impacting customers and profitability. The awards program is a unique platform for innovators to gain worldwide visibility.

Disruptive Innovation Award recognizes banks that redefine business-as-usual in retail banking and its broader global impact.

The finalists are:

Alior Bank, Europe (Poland): Alior Sync - Virtual Bank of the 21st Century
Barclaycard US, Americas (US): The Barclaycard Ring® MasterCard® and Barclaycard Ring® Community
Fidor Bank AG, Europe (Germany): "Like-Zins" User Defined Payable Interest Rate

Keep fingers crossed for Alior Sync!

IND Group in Gartner Hype Cycles

2012-09-07T07:33:38Z

IND Group in Gartner Hype Cycles

We are proud to announce that IND Group was twice mentioned in the Hype Cycles of Gartner in the last couple of months.

Gartner Inc. (NYSE: IT) is the world's leading information technology research and advisory company.

We appeared in the Gartner's study called "Hype Cycle for the Future of Money, 2012", published 27 July 2012 and IND Group was also listed as Sample Vendor in the study called "Hype Cycle for Banking and Investment Services Customer Acquisition and Retention, 2012", published 31 July 2012, in the Online Personal Financial Management chapter.

New Award for IND Group’s CEO

2012-09-04T15:35:44Z

New Award for IND Group’s CEO

Budapest, 31 August 2012 - IND Group's CEO, Dr. Balazs Vinnai received a prestigious award: he received the highest number of votes on IT Business's Top 25 online poll, which aimed to find the most successful IT manager of 2012.

The first position was also supported by the jury of IT professionals.

Following several awards in the past - for example "Young Entrepreneur of the Year", "The Promise of the Future" and "Knight's Cross Order of Merit of Hungary" - the IT Business award is a new prize that shows the results of Balázs's efforts in building a market leading company on the global e-finance market.

After receiving the award, Balázs stated: "While I appreciate the prestigious title I won, it is not only mine but the entire company's. This recognition is the success of all of my colleagues with whom we work together at IND."

IND at Top Bankers Awards Gala 2012

2012-07-18T14:04:21Z

IND at Top Bankers Awards Gala 2012

The fifth Top Bankers Award Gala was held in Bucharest 17th July 2012. The event was organised by Finmedia and sponsored by IND Group. Main aims of the event were the consolidation and development of the Romanian banking and business-financial sector.

The successful gala was attended among others by bankers, counselors, experts, researchers, Romanian and foreign business people and economic analysts.

The most important players of the banking and financial sector in Romania were awarded based on their results last year. The results were evaluated according to quantitative, dynamics and performance criteria.

Our executive chairman Mr Roland Pecsenye awarded Mr Andrei Dudoin, CEO of Banca Transilvania, for net profit evolution and asset dynamics.

Cohort 9 learns an Internet banking success story

2012-06-22T15:28:13Z

Cohort 9 learns an Internet banking success story

Today, members of Stetson University Executive MBA Cohort 9 visited technology leader IND Group at its headquarters in Budapest, Hungary.

Cohort 9 students Christina Boncela, Glorimar Hefner, David LaRocque, Gwen Schaefer and Lindsay Swantek served as the student business team for this business visit. They were prepared to discover the behind-the-scenes operations and future direction of this innovative company.

Click here to read the whole article!

IND Group delivered the innovative frontline to Alior Sync

2012-06-19T13:23:14Z

IND Group delivered the innovative frontline to Alior Sync

World’s First Facebook Money Transfer Initiated from the Online Banking has been Accomplished by Alior Bank and Processed with Technology from IND Group – IND Group delivered the IT background to Alior Sync, a game-changing new digital bank

Budapest, Warsaw, Krakow; 18th June, 2012 – IND Group provided mobile and internet banking solutions to a Polish direct bank, Alior Sync, a new bank brand. The innovative digital banking system uniquely combines different types of banking services and popular online entertainment platforms as well as Facebook into a user friendly banking interface – with this technology the first Facebook involving money transfer was carried out in May.

Staying informed of new trends is vital, as developments that were considered revolutionary a few years ago are now a part of everyday life. Solutions that are used on a daily basis worldwide should adapt to the constant change and development of the world.

Though only three years old, Alior Bank is the most recognized bank brand in Poland. Alior Bank announced last year in December that in 2012 they will launch Alior Sync, the first virtual-only bank in Poland. The main target group is young adults between the ages of 25 and 30 who practically grew up with the internet. For this generation, online banking has become a necessity, but taking into account their constant need for innovation and for services with the highest convenience, with no time and place limitations, most of the existing solutions are far from meeting their expectations.

They want to instantly transfer money on the spot to friends without typing or tapping long account details. They expect apps with technology that are always with them and have the ability to synchronise their financial history in a constant push feed like they are used to on Facebook. Maybe they even want to eliminate time-consuming paper-to-digital transactions by taking photos of their bills. It should always be in their pockets – to manage their budgets and help them spend less with an account aggregated Personal Finance Management tool.

IND Group's software solutions ensure that from now on, all they need is a smart device with web access to manage their daily banking while staying synchronized with all of their bank accounts (even at other banks), monitor spending history and have financial information on the go.

As most people use these smart devices to constantly receive updated information of their social network on Facebook, it was obvious to introduce a solution that seamlessly integrates social networking capabilities into banking processes as well as the other way around: integrating banking processes by a Facebook application into their mostly used website. Using this cutting edge innovation, clients can transfer money directly on Facebook with the help of Alior Payment, a special application and a bank account accessible for Facebook transfers. All these transfers can be carried out without the necessity for leaving the page and logging in to the internet banking of their bank. The only criterion of the transaction is that the recipient has to use the same application; hereby money can be transferred to any bank account in Poland. The safety of the Facebook transfer is guaranteed by captcha and a one-time transaction signing SMS password (OTP).

The system proved itself during the testing process: the first Facebook transfer in test environment through Alior Sync was performed on 29th May, and from 14th June, Alior Sync clients can also use this unique feature. „IND Group is very proud of being the developer of such an important solution that will surely become extremely popular over time. We proved again – as a pioneer on the digital banking solutions market – that innovation, implementing new trends and integrating various systems and processes are important to ensure that our customers can deal with everyday finance in the easiest way possible" - said Mr. Balázs Vinnai, CEO of IND Group.

"IND was definitely the right company to develop the technology for Alior Sync. IND has the experts and the innovation experience to drive new banking technology. IND was prepared to make our ideas come to fruition, and with them, we were able to build up the most innovative bank in Poland. Hopefully, we will be able to work together again in the near future." -stated Mr. Wojciech Sobieraj, President of the Management Board of Alior Bank.

Roland Pecsenye, Executive Chairman of IND, who was involved in this unique project as a sponsor, added that "the project with Alior bank was very ‘cool' and inspiring. It was an amazing experience to be working with the most innovative bank in Poland. The human factor was of great importance; the Alior team, with their reformer attitude, are open to progressive ideas and they are daring enough to be the first. We truly believe that the new banking services offered by Sync will be a game-changer in the banking experience."

About Alior Sync
Alior Sync is the first Internet bank of the new generation. It plans to acquire one million customers and over PLN 3 billion in deposits within four years from the commencement of activity. The bank constitutes a response to the latest trends resulting from the fast development of Internet and mobile services, which current Internet banking solutions are far lagging behind.

Alior Sync offers fully virtual service and modern means of communication with the customer at a previously unknown level, for example by the creation of a fully virtual branch, complete with a wide variety of virtual, video conversations and video chats. Moreover, Alior Sync's innovative model of operations eases the facilitation of the processes of offering and sales of products

Sync Facebook transfer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wStK5SdXxvk&feature=channel&list=UL

Alior Sync's youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/aliorsync

IND’s new business partner in Turkey: Pixelplus Interactive

2012-08-23T13:31:45Z

IND’s new business partner in Turkey: Pixelplus Interactive

Istanbul, Budapest, 10th of May, 2012 - IND Group - an online banking, PFM, mobile banking and payments technology vendor for financial institutions – is proud to announce its new partnership with Pixelplus Interactive, a market leader Turkish digital marketing and social media agency.

Pixelplus is constantly expanding its portfolio by providing a full range of consulting, design, software and social media services to the major players in the financial and banking sector. IND and Pixelplus set up their cooperation earlier this year, starting with IND's latest innovation called 'Gamification' which aroused the interest of Pixelplus.

Gamification of online finances is a way to make sometimes boring banking more fun and engaging for end customers, with using points, badges and social sharing. Due to the strong visualization features (point systems, badges, leader boards, etc.), this functionality creates a compelling and engaging user experience. This special cooperation is very promising as one of the main strength of Pixelplus is the user experience and it provides the Turkish background and business relations with many significant clients, like Garanti Bank, Akbank, American Express and Bank Asya. On the other hand, IND provides the technical knowhow of internet banking, mobile banking, Personal Financial Management (PFM) and Gamification.

"Pixelplus is a prestigious online media agency and this partnership is a great opportunity for IND to gain visibility in Turkey. The Turkish financial market seems to be open for innovative online banking solutions, that we provide. As excellent user experience, design and data visualisation are the main drivers of the development of IND technology, we are sure that our cooperation will be mutually beneficial and fruitful." - said József Nyíri, Chief Innovator of IND Group.

"We believe that this partnership will make an overwhelming impression on the Turkish finance industry. Turkish bankers are very disposed of innovation and new technologies, especially in terms of new banking products, and they strive for serving the best for their customers. We believe that with the great potential and experience of Pixelplus in digital marketing and IND's spectacular solutions for online and mobile banking, with a huge emphasis on gamification applications, this partnership will carry the banking industry a step forward in Turkey." – said Giray Kavazoglu, Chairman of Pixelplus Interactive.

About Pixelplus:

Turkey's digital marketing and social media agency working wonders from pixels.

Our agency, established in 2000, is a digital marketing agency, constantly expanding its portfolio by providing a full range of consulting, design, software and social media services to the leading companies in the sector.

Our motto and fundamental policy is to use the channels fully and coherently created by the digital world, with the power and experience that we have gained in the sector during 12 years, in an accurate, creative and efficient way. We are serving in all areas of digital marketing with our project management, design, 3D, software development and strategy departments and Likeable Istanbul social media agency, which is established in cooperation of Pixelplus and Likeable, consisting of almost 75 people.

Our innovative, dynamic and professional team believes in the importance of the values related to the brands that they represent as well as the sense of belonging to those brands. This understanding has made our agency a lasting and long-term service partner of the companies that we constantly work with.

IND Group became a member of the Hungarian Mobile Wallet Association

2012-04-19T15:13:06Z

IND Group became a member of the Hungarian Mobile Wallet Association

IND Group became a member of the Hungarian Mobile Wallet Association (Mobiltárca Szövetség) as we want to be one of the influencers of the coming mobile NFC payment standard in Hungary.

The Hungarian Mobile Wallet Association was established in June 2011 as a result of the collaboration of six telco and financial services providers (Magyar Telekom, Telenor, Vodafone, OTP, MasterCard, and the Super Shop) .

The Hungarian Mobile Wallet Association was formed to enforce the domestic spread of innovative, NFC technology-based mobile payment solutions, systems and services; create and observe the related professional guidelines; ensure professional standards and continuous improvements; and to standardize the platform behind the technology.

The Association is committed to the innovative cashless payment solutions by taking the role in the education of the population and the possible business partners, and the development of the domestic financial culture in order to foster the economic development.

The goal of the Association is to introduce the first commercial NFC mobile payment application by the end of 2012 / first quarter of 2013 in Hungary, and later on facilitate the widespread use of similar technology-based solutions. The success of the introduction of NFC mobile technology is based on the cooperation of mobile operators and other market players.

Interview with Jozsef Nyiri on Mobile Payments @ Mobeyday

2012-04-19T08:52:25Z

Interview with Jozsef Nyiri on Mobile Payments @ Mobeyday

Jozsef Nyiri, founder and chief innovator at IND Group talks about remote and proximity payments, as well as QR codes, at MobeyDay.

Click here to watch the video!

Recent Datamonitor Study on IND’s Gamification Concept

2012-04-18T08:33:29Z

Recent Datamonitor Study on IND’s Gamification Concept

Datamonitor selected IND's very new online banking gamification concept to be the topic of its recently published case study. IND has officially launched its gamification concept this year in February at FinovateEurope in London.

Incoming feedbacks show a great interest from banks, analysts and the competition as well, which surpasses our previous expectations by far.

We are very honoured that Datamonitor considered IND Gamification to be so interesting that they devoted an entire dedicated case study to it.

IND Group Gamification Case Study: Boosting online sales through points, badges and rewards

Introduction

Increasing customer engagement through the online channel is an important challenge for providers to deal with as they attempt to boost online sales. IND Group believes it has found the answer through gamifying its online experience.

Features and benefits

Drive online sales growth by using techniques from game design to improve the customer experience
Reward responsible financial behavior by learning how IND Group guides customer behavior
Stimulate customer advocacy by learning how IND Group incentivizes customers to share their experiences
Minimalize the risks involved with gamification through appreciating that ow some customer groups will reject the gamification of their finances

Want to know more? Read it here.

IND is in the game for retail banks (brand-e.biz)

2012-04-16T08:02:12Z

IND is in the game for retail banks (brand-e.biz)

Can banks get the game? Yes, according to banking solutions software outfit IND Group. Pioneers in banking gamification, IND Group believes that this is a ‘significant innovation for banks in the next couple of years’, writes Sally Ratcliffe.

“Gamification is a market differentiator,” says Ádám Kiss, IND’s product manager. “It can, and will, make a huge difference to retail banking.”

So what will be this difference, and what will it look like?

Read the whole article here!

Source: brand-e.biz

Banca Transilvania, “Bank of the year for remote electronic payment services”

2012-04-12T17:02:57Z

Banca Transilvania, “Bank of the year for remote electronic payment services”

IND Group Internet Banking solution received a new recognition: Banca Transilvania, "Bank of the year for remote electronic payment services"

Banca Transilvania is "Bank of the year for remote electronic payment services". The prize was awarded on April 10 during the Online Banking Gala, organized by the FINMEDIA press trust in Bucharest. This trophy is recognition of the results registered by BT in terms of online banking, especially following the implementation of the new BT24 Internet Banking platform (www.bt24.ro), which was launched in July 2011. This is currently a modern, complex, user friendly version, with over 100 features, one of the newest - just launched a few days ago - being the ability to transfer money using Western Union via Internet Banking. Since "the re-launch of the service" and until the end of 2011, the Bank recorded an additional 40,000 clients for Internet Banking. Furthermore, over 13,000 clients have subscribed to the Mobile Banking service, mBT24.

The speech on Banca Transilvania's behalf was held by Marius Flore, Manager of the E-Channels Department, who stressed the following: this prize certifies that the BT24 solution is positioned in the top league of online banking solutions in Romania; adapting online banking solutions to the needs and suggestions of our clients, approach used by BT, represents the key to performance in this area; integration within online banking solutions of as many related banking products and services, using an All in One type concept, will make all the difference to the client. Banca Transilvania's BT24 solution was developed as an All in One concept, having integrated a series of very useful services, such as: Personal Finance Manager – a very practical module for management of the client's own finances, Card management module (blocking cards online, changing daily limits for card transactions, subscription to SMS Alert), recurring operations for utility service providers, standing order and money transfer operations via Western Union.

The Online Banking Gala was attended by over 100 guests from the IT&C and financial-banking sectors.

BOV Mobile Pay launched based on the solution of IND Group

2012-03-26T07:45:21Z

BOV Mobile Pay launched based on the solution of IND Group

22 March, 2012 - Pioneering the new way of banking and payments in Malta

Bank of Valletta today launched BOV Mobile – a platform that uses the latest technology and harnesses the widespread use of mobile internet – giving customers the ability to make payments and the facility to effect banking transactions, anytime, anywhere through their smart phones.

"We are delighted to become the first Bank in Malta to respond to changing customer preferences and to launch our mobile customer proposition that we are branding BOV Mobile," said Charles Borg, CEO at Bank of Valletta.

BOV's CEO announced that BOV Mobile Pay is one of the services that the Bank will be offering through the mobile channel making person to person payments from the mobile phone a really convenient and simple process. "It will become easier and much simpler to pay someone else using BOV Mobile Pay than to exchange cash or write a cheque," said Mr. Borg who underlined that over the coming weeks and months, the Bank will be showcasing its intuitive and easy to use product with a view to creating a large base of mobile banking users that would effectively be creating a new payments ecosystem for Malta.

Mr. Borg said that BOV Mobile is a major deliverable in BOV's multi-year, multi-channel banking strategy. "We have embarked on a journey of sustained, trend-setting innovation that will not only re-define the customer experience but will, concurrently, continue to strengthen BOV's position as the financial service brand of choice in the market," said Mr. Borg.

BOV Mobile is available across a wide range of Apple iPhoneTM and AndroidTM smartphones and tablets and can be accessed both locally and abroad using either 3G or WiFi. The BOV Mobile app is available free for download from the Apple App Store and from Google Play (formerly known as the Android Market).

Victor Denaro, Chief Officer, Information Technology at Bank of Valletta explained that BOV Mobile provides a secure banking and payments experience thanks to the multiple layers of security it employs. "Bank of Valletta has always been at the forefront of banking technological innovation in Malta and today we are once again raising the bar by layering multiple security features into BOV Mobile whilst ensuring a straightforward customer interface that reduces the transaction authentication mechanism to just one screen and one field," explained Mr. Denaro. "We are pleased that we have managed to combine robust security with the convenience and simplicity required by our customers without making any compromises," said Mr. Denaro.

BOV Chief Officer Operations, Michael Galea, said that a lot of thought and work has gone into designing the BOV Mobile customer experience that is aligned to the Bank's Brand Promise. "Our teams have worked to make BOV Mobile customer oriented; to provide a seamless experience to the customer; to make the whole process straightforward and intuitive," said Mr. Galea who explained that registration for BOV Mobile is done through the BOV Internet Banking service in a self explanatory three step process where one determines the mobile phone number that will be used for the BOV Mobile service. At that stage, the customer receives an SMS on his smart phone with an activation code that is entered into the App on the smart phone giving immediate access to a wide range of mobile banking and payments services.

Through BOV Mobile, customers can

make mobile payments through BOV Mobile Pay
view the balances on any of their registered accounts
view the transaction history on their registered accounts
transfer funds between own accounts
effect a bill payment and
authorise transactions created on other BOV 24x7 channels.

Concluding the event, BOV's CEO, Charles Borg said that the mobile phone linked to a mobile payments and banking platform is one big opportunity that the Bank is determined to develop for the benefit of its customers. "BOV mobile is our response to this opportunity. It is one big innovation that we are proud to be bringing to the market and that is set to change the way people prefer to bank and to pay," concluded Mr. Borg.

Further information about BOV Mobile can be obtained from any BOV Branch, the Bank's Customer Service Centre on 2131 2020 or from the Bank's website www.bov.com. A comprehensive list of tips for safer mobile banking and payments is also available through the Bank's website.

IND presentation at Gamification Conference in Turkey

2012-04-06T09:47:29Z

IND presentation at Gamification Conference in Turkey

Pixelplus Interactive is organizing Turkey's first "Gamification Conference", introducing this popular digital marketing trend to the Turkish market.

During this invitation-only event, gamification concept and the successful examples will be presented to inspire the Turkish marketers and professionals. The audience will have the privilige to listen to the spokesmen from leading global gamification companies and see their successful implementations of this rising trend globally.

On the event Jozsef Nyiri (Chief Innovator) will present IND Group's Gamification concept which has been already debuted with great success at the FinovateEurope 2012 event.

Mobile Pay goes live in Malta - based on IND Group Mobile Banking solution

2012-03-23T09:07:22Z

Mobile Pay goes live in Malta - based on IND Group Mobile Banking solution

22st of March, 2012 - BOV Mobile Pay goes live

From now with the solution of IND Group - based on the platform BFO 4 - clients of Bank of Valetta are able to make person to person payment using their smartphones anytime, anywhere.

BOV Mobile Pay

BOV Mobile Pay allows you to send money to anyone instantly and securely, directly into their BOV Mobile Pay Account. You do not need to have their account details. Just select your contact from the contacts list and send the money to the person you need to pay. No more fiddling with cash and change: the other person gets paid immediately and receives an SMS directly from BOV to confirm receipt. It's as easy as sending text. And if you need to pay someone who is not saved to your contacts list, all you need is their mobile phone number and you can pay them directly (provided that they too have a BOV Mobile Pay Account).

To make mobile payments, you need to have an Apple iPhoneTM or AndroidTM smartphone. The BOV Mobile App is free and easy to download and use. All you need is a 3G or WiFi connection enabled on your phone.

Simply register for the service via BOV Internet Banking, download the BOV Mobile App and start paying.

If you do not have a compatible smartphone, you can still register for BOV Mobile Pay and enjoy the convenience of receiving mobile payments anytime and anywhere. To receive mobile payments, you can have any brand and model of mobile phone as long as it is capable to receive SMS messages.
You can upgrade your mobile phone or change your phone number anytime without loss of service.

BOV Mobile Banking

With BOV Mobile Banking, you can also do your banking anytime, anywhere: while standing in a queue or sitting in a waiting room; while at home watching TV, or travelling abroad. You can check your actual account balances on all your savings, credit card, and loan accounts. If you want to see an extended history of the transactions on individual accounts, you can do that too. In just four quick steps, you can transfer money between your own accounts - it's that simple. If you usually pay your bills sitting at your desk, you can now do exactly the same thing on your mobile. If you're abroad and you'd like to top up your kid's card account, you can do that too - that's real convenience.

Besides offering mobile-friendly features of our ever-popular BOV Internet Banking service, you can rest assured that you're using the latest technology in mobile security. Your finances, personal information, and privacy remain top priority for us.

The new BOV App is free and easy to download and use. All you need is a smartphone and a 3G or WiFi connection enabled on your phone. Simply register for the service via BOV Internet Banking, download the BOV Mobile App and start banking.

Source: BOV website

IND Group wins the E-payments Award with Solution for Banca Transilvania

2012-03-02T15:33:12Z

IND Group wins the E-payments Award with Solution for Banca Transilvania

28th February, 2012, Bucharest - At the e-Finance Awards Gala in Bucharest, IND Group has received the ‘E-payments’-award for the development of the best e-banking and m-banking solution in Romania for Banca Transilvania.

In its 9th year, the annual awards of the Romanian “e-Finance” magazine gave credit to the IT and financial communities of Romania, by recognizing top software providers, financial institutions, partnerships and distinguished managers in these sectors.

IND is very proud of this great achievement. The e-solutions provider received this award for the online and mobile banking application that they created for Banca Transilvania. Banca Transilvania is - by its market share - the third biggest player of the Romanian financial market and this will probably even improve in the near future. IND – expert of electronic banking channels - is developing flexible systems that give clients the ability to bank anytime, anywhere and will keep on cooperating with Banca Transilvania to make sure that their e-banking application can even further innovate and improve.

"It was a great honor to work with Banka Transilvania team on this complex online front-end project. They are very dedicated people who are always open for new ideas and their innovative approach has been contributed to winning this prestigious award. We are look forward to working with Banca Transilvania in the future as well." -said Roland Pecsenye Executive Chairman of IND Group.

IND Group moved to Munich

2012-03-02T11:27:31Z

IND Group moved to Munich

From 1st of March 2012 IND's German office is located in Munich.

New address of IND GmbH is: Erika-Mann-Straße 47, D-80636 Munich, Germany

Announcement of the 2012 IND Poker Champions!

2012-03-01T14:14:09Z

Announcement of the 2012 IND Poker Champions!

The 3rd Poker tournament, sponsored by IND Group, was successfully held with 63 players in the Cotton Poker Club on the 29th of February 2012.

The winner of the tournament is Mark Zala (KH Bank).

Have a look at the members of the final poker table of the tournament!

1st Márk Zala (KH Bank)

2nd László Czelecz (ERSTE Bank)

3rd Gergely Takács (Takarékbank)

4th Balázs Gál (FHB Bank)

5th Gábor Sáfrán (Raiffeisen Bank)

6th Tamás Fridrich (Raiffeisen Bank)

7th Péter Kónya (Takarékbank)

8th Dávid Horváth (Solarcapital)

9th András Duna (AXA)

10th Balázs Vinnai (IND)

You can find more pictures on IND's Facebook page.

Synec Aliora, czyli narodziny nowej jakości - Article in Puls Biznesu about IND and Alior

2012-02-20T10:26:11Z

Synec Aliora, czyli narodziny nowej jakości - Article in Puls Biznesu about IND and Alior

17th of February, 2012: Article in the Puls Biznesu (www.pb.pl) about IND and Alior Bank.

See the whole article here: http://www.pb.pl/2557697,42330,synec-aliora-czyli-narodziny-nowej-jakosci

IND Gamification was mentioned by Payment Observers article

2012-02-17T17:36:34Z

IND Gamification was mentioned by Payment Observers article

Payment Observer's new article: "Trends and Innovation in Finance: FinovateEurope 2012" by Martin Schuppelius mentiones that IND Group one of the companies launched new services (Gamification) at the FinovateEurope 2012.

IND’s latest innovation: online banking goes from boring to fun

2012-02-13T14:50:53Z

IND’s latest innovation: online banking goes from boring to fun

Official Press Release:

London, 7th of February, 2012 – At the FinovateEurope 2012 conference, IND Group launched and presented its renewed Banking Front-Office product, with ‘Gamification' as the main new concept. The goal is to make the banking processes more enjoyable and to motivate clients to use the bank's online services more frequently.

The prior goal of Gamification is to motivate customers to use more services of the bank and to make the whole banking process funnier and more entertaining. IND added these methods and tools to its new IND Banking-Front Office product. The idea is that customers are willing to deal with almost anything, as long as they will be rewarded for it. With the two-level score system, the bank can give points for various actions such as transactions, money transfers, account statement requests or product purchases. Customers can also collect points and badges for dedicated actions.

Financial institutions can easily synchronize IND's Gamification engine to various promotions or marketing campaigns or existing loyalty programs as well. The goal can be to support a common product, service, campaign or to boost the usage of a channel or a function. The system is easily connectable to Facebook, where users can post their results and badges. Thus, the bank's logo will be displayed to hundreds of Facebook walls with each of these posts. Banks can even create campaigns with the gamified product, in which customers could be incited to collect friends (who are currently not customers of the bank) into the game, in order to accomplish different challenges and to gain rewards. With this new innovation, financial institutions can attract new clients and gain the loyalty of their existing clients.

The whole system looks more like a game than a loyalty campaign. With the strong visualization features (point systems, badges, leader boards, etc.), the product creates a compelling, engaging user experience and prompts the users to keep their financial issues in hand.

"With the concept of Gamification, which was successfully showcased at FinovateEurope, IND Group wants to guide the banks and make them more successful on the international markets. Our goal is to make Internet banking solutions more prevalent and popular. Attracting people who don't use the online and mobile banking services is also an important goal for us." – said József Nyíri, Chief Innovator of IND Group.

ProCredit selected IND to implement new online banking

2012-02-15T13:34:35Z

ProCredit selected IND to implement new online banking

From ProCredit Bank, located in Romania:

"Internet Banking has become an essential channel for the performance of everyday banking operations, both for private individuals and businesses. We aim to offer our clients an efficient and accessible solution of remote services, able to meet their increasingly complex needs.

As such, starting with this year, ProCredit Bank's clients (private individuals and SMEs) will benefit from a new Internet Banking platform, boasting an improved functionality and design, as well as a higher degree of flexibility. The new facilities offered to our clients through this application will allow users a better access and a wider range of online banking operations, with economic and time benefits.

Thanks to their experience in the area, IND Group is highly recommended as a trustworthy partner for developing such a banking application, meeting both our clients' needs and the development direction aimed at by ProCredit Bank. It is very important to us that our clients should have access to the newest technologies and we appreciate the IND Group solution to be in consistency with the high working standards of ProCredit Bank."

About ProCredit Bank Romania:

ProCredit Bank is a development-oriented full-service bank. We offer excellent customer service and a wide range of banking products. In our credit operations, we focus on lending to very small, small and medium-sized enterprises, as we are convinced that these businesses create the largest number of jobs and make a vital contribution to the economies in which they operate.

Unlike other banks, our bank does not promote consumer loans. Instead we focus on responsible banking by building a savings culture and long-term partnership with our customers.
ProCredit Bank supports the business of its customers in the best and most efficient manner that meets international banking standards. As a full-service bank, ProCredit Bank offers its clients – private individuals, as well as legal entities – various deposit options with attractive conditions.

In Romania, ProCredit Bank has been founded in 2002 and represents the result of a partnership between renowned financial international institutions, such as: EBRD, IFC - a member of the World Bank Group, Commerzbank, KfW ProCredit Holding (German investment company), and IPC.

Finovate Europe 2012 - Impressions by Benjamin Ensor

2012-02-09T11:01:53Z

Finovate Europe 2012 - Impressions by Benjamin Ensor

Finovate Europe 2012: Innovation In Digital Financial Services - see it from Benjamin Ensor's (Forrester Research Inc. Vice President, Research Director) point of view.

FinovateEurope 2012 - Interwiev with Jozsef Nyiri - Chief Innovator of IND Group

2012-02-09T10:47:21Z

FinovateEurope 2012 - Interwiev with Jozsef Nyiri - Chief Innovator of IND Group

Please find here the interview with Jozsef Nyiri - Founder & Chief Innovator at IND Group about gamification embedded to the online bank to increase usage of PFM and improve customer's behaviour towards money.

IND Gamification Success at FinovateEurope 2012

2012-02-09T10:29:06Z

IND Gamification Success at FinovateEurope 2012

By Julie Schicktanz on February 7, 2012 7:39 AM

IND Group's Banking-Front Office Gamifies Personal Finance

Concluding FinovateEurope 2012, IND Group's Banking-Front Office took the stage:

"IND gamified its white-label Internet Banking and Personal Finance Manager. Gamification is the concept that you can apply the basic elements of fun, reward, and social connections to almost all industries.

IND Group added these methods to its new Banking-Front Office. Our solution is based on the fact that customers love to do almost anything if they are rewarded for it. With the two-level point system, banks can give points for various things, like function use, transactions (depending on amount, currency, frequency, etc.), product, or service purchases. Customers can collect points and badges for dedicated actions.

The system is closely connected with Facebook, where users can post their results and badges. Banks can even create campaigns in the system where customers - in order to accomplish the challenges - have to bring non-banking friends into the game to get rewards. Customers can track their progress in time charts, where both their net worth and point progress are displayed.

With its strong visualization features (point systems, badges, leaderboards, etc.) and real rewards, the gamified IND Internet Banking and Personal Finance Manager creates a compelling, engaging user experience and prompts users to live a financially healthy life."

Product Launched: New version of products are launching in February 2012

Presenting József Nyíri (Chief Innovator) & Tamas Braun (General Manager, IND UK)

www.finovate.com

Banca Transilvania’s CEO has been awarded in the „Banker of the Year” competition in Romania

2012-01-04T14:30:36Z

Banca Transilvania’s CEO has been awarded in the „Banker of the Year” competition in Romania

3rd of January, 2012 / Cluj-Napoca – Robert Rekkers, the CEO of Banca Transilvania, has been awarded the Banker of the Year in Romania because of the bank's achievements on the Romanian market.

IND Group had main role of developing the new online application of Banca Transilvania, which was the crucial element of the bank's success in 2011.

The renewal of internet banking was the most important project of Banca Transilvania for 2011. As they needed an application to improve the user experience, the Bank had chosen IND Group to actualize their plans. IND – expert of electronic banking channels - is developing flexible systems that gives clients the ability to bank everytime, everywhere without queuing. Moreover, they are able to do this with the highest security.

Banca Transilvania is - by its marketshare - the third biggest player of the Romanian financial market. During the last couple of months, there was a dynamical expansion in its clientele, greatly due to the new online and mobile banking applications.

"I had the honor to hand over the prestigious prize to Mr. Rekkers from my very hands at the gala in Bucharest. We are proud that the new version of BT24, developed by our company, offers the clients of Banca Transilvania a mobile and easy access to banking services. We hope that we have a part in the success!" – said Roland Pecsenye, CEO of IND Group.

BT24 Internet Banking: approximately 100 functionalities for clients

By using the new BT24 application, clients have at their disposal the most diversified range of banking operations that can be performed by using Internet Banking in Romania. BT24 has approximately 100 functionalities, such as: the possibility of seeing balance sheets, accounts and transaction history online; setting alerts for card transactions; real-time modification of card account status and transaction limits; account management and savings plan through the "Personal Finance Manager" option; viewing own activity history for operations performed through BT24; scheduled payments; currency convertor, details regarding loans etc.

Authentication of transactions through BT24 is performed by entering the one time password received via SMS or by using the token, a device that can be obtained at any Banca Transilvania unit. Another facility is the possibility of accessing BT24 on the mobile phone. Therefore, clients have total mobility by using the smartphone as a device to access accounts and perform operations online.

BT24 offers a number of operations free of charge in 24/7 availability

IND in Forrester's Mobile Banking Blog

2011-11-25T13:04:59Z

IND in Forrester's Mobile Banking Blog

Forrester's leading analyst - Benjamin Ensor - mentioned in his blog the IND Group as one of the companies were briefed about mobile banking technologies.

Read the blog here!

About Forrester

Forrester Research, Inc. (Nasdaq: FORR) is an independent research company that provides pragmatic and forward-thinking advice to global leaders in business and technology. Forrester works with professionals in 19 key roles at major companies providing proprietary research, customer insight, consulting, events, and peer-to-peer executive programs. For more than 28 years, Forrester has been making IT, marketing, and technology industry leaders successful every day.

Alior Bank launches Sync - the new generation of virtual bank – based on IND front-office technology in Poland

2011-11-24T14:53:23Z

Alior Bank launches Sync - the new generation of virtual bank – based on IND front-office technology in Poland

Budapest/Krakow, 21st November, 2011. On its third birthday, Alior Bank has announced that in the middle of the next year it will start the first direct bank in Poland: Alior Sync. The name Sync refers to the continuous synchronization/interconnection between the clients and the bank. The Internet and mobile banking solutions of Alior Sync are being delivered by IND Group.

The new generation of direct banking

During its three years of operation, Alior Bank has achieved a significant position in the Polish banking sector employing more than 3 600 employees and providing a network of over 400 branches (202 regular branches, 6 Private Banking branches and 196 partner units). In the last business quarter more than 150 000 new clients have chosen its services, increasing the number of current clients to over a million. Dynamic growth and outstanding profit can be explained by new, innovative solutions and services of the highest standard.

Alior Sync will be launched in the middle of the 2012 in Poland, as a new generation "3.0" virtual bank, providing direct banking services. Planned products and services are targeting primarily young adults between the ages of 20 and 35 having lifelong Internet experience. This group doesn't just expect banks to provide up-to-date internet and mobile banking services, but also expects the most innovative technologies in their everyday finances. Technical background for the high quality services are delivered by IND Group. The system interlinks banking services, Facebook, entertainment and insurance opportunities and unites them into a common banking interface.

"Alior Sync will stand out in the market with its comprehensive approach to using modern technologies and devices. The Bank will offer fully virtual service and modern means of communication with the customer at a previously unknown level, for example by the creation of a fully virtual branch, complete with a wide variety of virtual and 3D options, video conversations and video chats. Moreover, Alior Sync's innovative model of operations will ease the facilitation of the processes of offering and sales of products and services, not limited to banking, with the wide scope of use of the popularity and possibilities offered by social networks and mobile devices development." (Alior Press Release)

"Entering the Polish market is a very important milestone in the expansion strategy of IND Group. Poland's established but very dynamic banking industry is open for new and innovative solutions and opens significant market opportunities for IND Innovations ." – said Roland Pecsenye, Executive Partner of IND.

„We are proud that we have been offered the opportunity to develop a new, fully integrated internet banking system for Alior's virtual bank, Alior Sync. To create a new direct bank is a very big challenge because in this case the internet bank is not only one of the channels, but the bank itself. It has to be like a carefully designed interior, which is able to impress and convince the clients to choose this bank" – said Balázs Vinnai, CEO of IND Group.

„It is a great pleasure for us to work with Alior, they are very dedicated people who are always open to new ideas." – mentioned Tomasz Bawelkiewicz, Country Manager of IND Poland. "We are very looking forward to the future co-operation with Alior, and with INDs commitment to the Polish market I believe we will be able to service many new Polish clients in the future - I strongly believe and looking forward to further success stories next year."

The innovative online and mobile banking products of IND Group are well known and increasingly recognized on international markets. As part of its overall expansion strategy, on 21st November 2011 IND opened its newest office in the Central European region in Krakow. Colleagues of the new office are experienced technical professionals and have been working with internet banking solutions for years. With their corporate banking knowledge, they contribute significantly to the establishment of a new IND product line in the region. IND Group is present in more than 20 countries and planning to expand to Western Europe shortly.

IND hit the bullseye on FinovateFall 2011

2011-10-24T12:08:09Z

IND hit the bullseye on FinovateFall 2011

IND Group Reinvents How Banks Can Communicate With Clients

By Julie Schicktanz on September 21, 2011 3:04 PM | No Comments

This afternoon, IND Group demonstrated how IND Internet Banking can change the way banks communicate with clients:

"Its "wow" innovation is a new online and mobile banking platform, which is reinventing the way a bank can communicate with its customers. Use of natural language, simplicity, usability and data visualization are the key differentiating factors. Easy-to-use main features include the account and transaction visualization, wizard-type money transfers and investments, zero-effort personal finance management, online sales engine and support center.

Through IND's use of iPhone and Android applications, mobile banking is more than just the extension of online banking features. We think the capabilities of the mobile should be fully used, like GPS location, camera, and the fact that it is always online."

Read the whole article here!

The bloggers of bankinnovation.net had scored all the participants.

IND Group put up a good show...

Cool Factor: A-

I Want It Factor: A-

Revenue Potential: A-

Zuno Bank - developed by IND Group - to go online in the Czech Republic

2011-10-24T12:09:49Z

Zuno Bank - developed by IND Group - to go online in the Czech Republic

Czech Republic - July 2011 - After its launch in Slovakia at the end of 2010, Zuno Bank AG, the direct banking subsidiary of Raiffeisen Bank International AG (RBI), is opening for business in the Czech Republic.

It is targeting Internet users, by offering a range of services to supplement those available via the Raiffeisen branch network which has operated in the country since 1993. The online offering includes two types of current accounts, a debit card, a savings account and term deposits, in four currencies (EUR, USD, GBP and CZK).

At the same time, Raiffeisen is launching Zuno mobile banking to help customers who want to bank while on the move.

PFM research by Forrester – unique IND solution

2011-10-04T10:50:31Z

PFM research by Forrester – unique IND solution

Forrester Research, the technology and market research company published a report about the most prestigious personal finance management (PFM) vendors, including IND Group, the only internet and mobile banking solution provider among the eight companies from the CEE region.

PFM research by Forrester – unique IND solution

PFM is rapidly moving up the priority lists of many CIOs at banks worldwide. Financial institutions who want to offer online personal financial management to their customers have a large array of vendors to choose from. The research gave an overview on different vendors offering PFM developments.

According to the study IND Group was the only vendor Forrester interviewed that offers PFM both as a standalone solution and in combination with its online banking platform — which enables seamless integration of PFM with other banking channels. IND’s sales module lets marketers run and track cross-sell and upsell campaigns, and the solution offers numerous mobile features. IND Personal Finance Manager can be used to upgrade the existing internet bank to an innovative financial manager and advisor centre.

IND has been offering PFM since 2008.

For more information, please visit:

http://www.indgroup.eu/products/ind_standard_product_packages/ind_personal_finance_manager/index

Kamatvadász

2011-10-05T12:14:22Z

Kamatvadász

In the last 10 years IND Group has become the leading supplier of banking front-office on the European financial market thanks to its continuous innovation, outstanding knowledge and logistics of the industry, and technological approach, which serves the basics of the channel-free front-office products and solutions of IND. Due to the conscious international market expansion, around 30 banks, insurance companies, and brokerage firms, in more than 15 countries in the European and Middle-East regions use the solutions of IND Group.

Based on this knowledge and experience we launched www.kamatvadasz.hu in 2011 which is the first portal in Hungary that compares financial products independently from banks and agents. Expanding our already existing – solely company - clientele now we offer our service to the public as well, helping our clients in navigating among the wide variety of financial products. Uniquely on the domestic market, we would like to help our customers with this free and objective service. With Kamatvadász (Interest hunter) we offer more than a simple product searcher: our intention is to build an information base which can be a good starting point in the financial decisions of all our visitors.

Our objective is to offer a portal which is really user-friendly, absolutely adapted to users' expectations and compares the various financial products. To accomplish this aim, IND Group uses all its experience that it have gathered in banking front-office innovation, in several customer relations analysis, and in meeting the demand and need of the banking sector. On this page, users can select easily, independently, and transparently among several product categories, and requesting the process towards the selected bank or banks can be started without the involvement of a third party. Simply about complex things: we believe in this portal philosophy.

Further information: www.kamatvadasz.hu

IND Group implemented a successful Internet Banking solution to Lombard Bank Malta

2011-09-26T16:34:09Z

IND Group implemented a successful Internet Banking solution to Lombard Bank Malta

The IND Internet Banking solution for the Maltese Lombard Bank has successfully been implemented. As part of the project IND Group personalized the IND BFO Internet Banking product package for the bank. This enables for the clients of the bank to reach their accounts easily and helps in the initiation of various kinds of transactions. The project has been a great success.

BT24: state of the art Internet and Mobile Banking service

2012-01-11T11:29:20Z

BT24: state of the art Internet and Mobile Banking service

Banca Transilvania has launched the new version of the BT24 Internet Banking application (https://ib.btrl.ro/BT24). This is currently the most comprehensive service in the field on the local banking market, due to the large number of functionalities, higher levels of transaction security, total portability and mobility.

The application is based on the latest technology and user authentication is made either through SMS, by means of a text message received on the mobile phone that contains a one time password for accessing the application or by using a token – depending on the client's choice. Moreover, BT24 is also available on smartphones by accessing https://ib.btrl.ro/mBT24.

Launching the new version of this Internet Banking service is one of the most important projects that Banca Transilvania has planned for this year. The project was developed alongside IND Group, a company specialized in the IT field.

Robert C. Rekkers, CEO of Banca Transilvania, stated: "Aside from innovation, a modern bank means investments in technology. By launching this high-performance application we respond to the growing interest for sophisticated banking services that offer above all mobility and access to information. Over 180.000 clients are currently using BT24 and we are confident that by the end of the year other tens of thousands will become our clients due to this Internet Banking Service."

"We are proud to have developed this innovative solution for BT, this facilitates openness to new customers willing to use online and mobile banking services anywhere, anytime, avoiding the crowded counters." - Said Roland Pecsenye, CEO of IND Group. as a company we have over 14 years experience in technology development in banking and I can say that these solutions are, indeed, effective tools for banks, improve the quality of collaboration with customers.

BT24 Internet Banking: approximately 100 functionalities for clients

Some of the new facilities of BT24 have been requested by clients that use BT's Internet Banking services, identified in one of the studies performed by Banca Transilvania before launching the application. Some of these are: online viewing of account balances, accessibility, diversity of operations, wide range of facilities and swiftness.

BT24 offers a number of operations free of charge. 24/7 availability

By using BT24, clients have zero charges for certain operations, such as transfers between own accounts, FCY payments between BT clients or payment of utility bills to suppliers that BT has agreements with. Furthermore, for a number of operations performed through Internet Banking, fees are lower than those charged at the bank's counters. BT24 can be accessed at any time, from anywhere in the world by using any computer with an internet connection, regardless of the browser.

BT24 campaign for the bank's new clients: free account opening plus subscription and RON payments free of charge for 6 months.
Banca Transilvania has also prepared a campaign for new clients, both individuals and legal entities. It will take place between September 27 and December 31, 2011 and it targets individuals and corporate clients, bringing along a series of benefits: free BT account opening; free 6-month subscription for the BT24 service and 0 charges for the first 10 payments in RON made over the first 6 months. Clients can also benefit from the Premium Package that contains, aside from other benefits, free Mobile Banking and 0 charges for 20 monthly payments in RON performed over a period of 6 months.

For Banca Transilvania, The Bank for Entrepreneurial People, the new BT24 version means an investment in quality and a step forward regarding services offered to clients according to the new trend of using the Internet for banking operations.

IND Group continues to expand in the Gulf

2011-09-26T16:36:18Z

IND Group continues to expand in the Gulf

IND Group – which is specialized in online and mobile banking technology – is going to show its newest, innovative technologies and solutions on the COMEX 2011 exhibition and conference in Oman. The exhibition, which will be organized for the 21st time, is the most significant IT, telecommunication, and entertainment electronics exhibition of the region. COMEX gives opportunity to more than 70,000 attendees to show and demonstrate the newest trends.

It is not the first time that IND Group turns in the direction of the Gulf region. The first steps of the company in the Middle East were in 2001 when IND won the tender for the internet bank of Riyad Bank in Saudi Arabia. After that, in 2006, it established the electronic channels of Tejarat Bank – which has more than 10 million clients.
This year the following countries are in the international business focus of the company: Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, and Iran. The objective is not only increasing the number of clients in that region but also expanding its stable partner relations.

Besides the online and mobile banking solutions IND Group wants to conquer the markets of this region with its "IND Personal Finance Manager" (PFM) software. The application based on the PFM enables its users to examine their financial situation on a user friendly online surface, and makes it more perspicuous and easier to follow their costs and revenues with data visualization. As the personal financial management services become prevailing in Europe, so do the improvement of the financial consciousness in the Middle-East, creating bigger demand for such innovative online banking solutions as the PFM. The reception of Hungarian companies and the innovative developments are always positive in these countries.
The intention of IND Group is to expand its clientele in that region; consequently, enabling more people in the Middle-East to manage their finances more comfortably.

The COMEX 2011 exhibition is a great opportunity in the Middle-East for IND Group and for all the other outstanding Hungarian IT companies, such as Kürt Zrt. and Atoll Technologies Kft., who also present themselves at the Hungarian booth, to show their innovative technology.

About IND Group

IND Group is a leading developer and provider of banking front-office products on the European e-finance market. Through quality and innovation, we are proud to offer our innovative products to more and more satisfied customers around the world. Our products incorporate the most innovative technologies available in order to provide the best customer experience with ease of access and high security, while giving users up-to-date and sophisticated functions in modern banking. Since IND Group's inception in 1997, the company has expanded not only in Europe, but in the Middle-Eastern region as well, currently providing state-of-the-art technology for 25 banks in more than 15 countries on three continents.

More information: www.indgroup.eu
Visit us: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/indgroup
Contact: marketing@indgroup.eu

IND Group has delivered a new generation of Internet Banking technology for ZUNO Bank, the new direct banking arm of Raiffeisen Bank International

2011-09-26T16:59:12Z

IND Group has delivered a new generation of Internet Banking technology for ZUNO Bank, the new direct banking arm of Raiffeisen Bank International

The new direct banking technology, delivered by IND, is among the best available technology for Internet Banking.

Budapest, 2011-05-16 – Raiffeisen Bank International recently introduced ZUNO BANK, a brand new approach to direct banking in CEE countries, powered by technology developed by the IND Group.

Direct banks have no physical branches, and therefore communication with customers takes place primarily via phone and online channels. In this way it is highly attractive to customers, who prefer the convenience of direct banking.

This new banking solution offers all of the services of a normal bank, with the exception of credit rating. Customers can manage their current accounts, apply for debit cards, open savings accounts and term deposits, and manage transactions – all at a significantly lower fee than usual. It is also possible to open a bank account using only direct banking technology.

In order to meet the needs of this new approach to banking, IND Group has developed a brand new Front-Office solution, which will be introduced in several countries in ZUNO's network, beginning with Slovakia. The project includes IND Internet Banking, iMobile Banking, Contact Centre Banking as well as IND SMS Gateway solutions.

The key benefit of the new banking solution is that it is primary focus is on improving the banking experience of the customer. The technology is easy to use and offers several innovative features, which customers can benefit from. It also meets the highest security requirements.

"We are proud to have developed this new solution, which also enables banks to adapt to the needs of new target audiences: the young generation who spend most of their life online, or those who are looking for the best savings rates and want to change their details rapidly, without queuing up at a bank branch each time." – said Balazs Vinnai, CEO of IND Group. "We have more than 13 years of experience in developing banking front office technology, and I can say that these solutions are very efficient tools for banks wishing to improve the experience of their customers."

An overview of the solutions:

The main solution highlights for Internet Banking are account management (current and saving accounts), term deposit management, debit card management, payment management and partner handling.

General solutions include SMS, email and internal message notifications, statements and confirmations, auto-save functionality for accounts, complaint handling, a brand new design and different product packages (basic and premium).

Processing payment becomes easier and allows for the following services: own account transfers, domestic payments, foreign and SEPA payments, direct debit mandates and standing order mandates.

About IND Group

IND Group is a leading developer and provider of banking front-office products on the European e-finance market. IND's flagship product, the IND Banking Front-Office (IND BFO), is a comprehensive range of solutions that empowers front-office operations. As IND BFO covers branch, internet, mobile and contact centre banking on the same platform, service quality and performance can significantly be improved.
The remarkable growth IND has made over the past years marks a true success story in the International financial IT market. We provide proficiency and state-of-the-art technology in more than 20 countries on three continents. With a foundation of profitable growth since its inception in 1997, the Group is operating now from several European cities: London, Vienna, Stuttgart, Warsaw, Bucharest, Zagreb, Budapest and Miskolc.
Information on IND and its products is available at www.indgroup.eu.

Why IND

IND Group deployed IND Banking Front-Office (IND BFO), which ensures an integrated customer service and sales environment across banking channels. IND BFO is a highly scalable, multichannel supported front-office platform with inbuilt business logics. It is prepared to be easily integrated with existing core-banking systems.
For the new banking needs IND Group has developed a brand new front office-based solution. The project includes IND's Internet Banking, iMobile Banking, Contact Centre Banking as well as IND SMS Gateway solutions – all among the best available technologies for front-end banking solutions.

About Raiffeisen Bank International

Raiffeisen Bank International announced its intention to enter the markets of Central and Eastern Europe with a new direct banking model at the end of 2009. After its roll out in Slovakia, ZUNO BANK intends to launch operations in the Czech Republic in 2011. ZUNO also aims to expand into other CEE countries at a later stage.
Raiffeisen Bank International regards both Austria, where it is a leading corporate and investment bank, and Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) as its home market. In CEE, RBI operates an extensive network of subsidiary banks, leasing companies and a range of other specialised financial service providers in 17 markets. RBI is the only Austrian bank with a presence in both the world's financial centres and in Asia, the group's further geographical area of focus. In total, around 60,000 employees service about 14 million customers through around 3,000 business outlets, the great majority of which are located in CEE.

More information on ZUNO BANK:www.zuno.eu
More information on Raiffeisen Bank International: www.rbinternational.com

NBO launches mobile phone banking service delivered by IND Group

2011-09-26T17:01:17Z

NBO launches mobile phone banking service delivered by IND Group

MUSCAT, 25 May 2011 - In keeping with the government's initiative to transform Oman into a ‘sustainable knowledge society by leveraging Information and Communication Technologies', National Bank of Oman (NBO) has launched Oman's first mobile phone banking service delivered by IND Group.

The high-profile launch function held under the patronage of Dr Salim bin Sultan Al Ruzaiqi, chief executive of Information Technology Authority (ITA). National Bank of Oman CEO Salaam Said Al Shaksy was also present at the function, which was attended by senior government officials, industry leaders, members of the press, and the bank's senior management.

NBO Mobile Banking, the first mobile phone banking service is available for all NBO retail account holders in Oman.

It is a highly secure system using the best in class security mechanism to give customers a secure environment where they can not only access their accounts with NBO, but also initiate transactions, from locations where they can use their mobile phones.

Using the NBO Mobile Banking, customers can check their balance across all their NBO accounts, view transaction history, and pay their credit card and utility bills. This channel provides the customers the facility to make ‘third party transfers' between NBO customers, which is available to customers absolutely free. Customers can also transfer funds worldwide and also to account holders in other banks in Oman.

Registering for NBO's Mobile Banking is fastest, simplest and easiest for customers. They just need to log in on https://m.natbankoman.com and fill in a few key details to complete the registration process. To get the URL, customers can also send an SMS with the keyword ‘MB' to 90303.

Harshdeep Munjal, NBO head (Retail and Private Banking), said: "With a number of firsts to its credit, the bank has clearly established itself as the technology leader in Oman's banking sector. We were the first Omani bank to launch a website. We were the first to introduce the capability of making ‘third party fund transfers' through NBO Internet Banking.

By launching the first mobile banking service in the country, we have once again shown that we continue to strive to provide the best for the convenience of our customers.

Mobile Banking services are aimed at providing the customers one more avenue to access their bank accounts and carry their accounts in their pockets so as to allow our customers to carry out their banking transactions with NBO at a place and time of their convenience."

As this new channel is available for the first time in Oman, a detailed online demo has been provided to give customers an experience of the services available.