Social Money Announces Partnership with ICICI Bank in India

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Des Moines-based Social Money, the creator of GoalSaver technology and owner of SmartyPig, announced a partnership with ICICI Bank in India yesterday.

The 2,700-branch bank will have access to Social Money’s GoalSaver product (pictured right). While the bank has not yet disclosed how it will use the product, Bank Innovation shares an inside scoop:

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“Broadly, GoalSaver hopes to enliven checking accounts with social networking features and a better user interface. The product boasts a goal feature, for example, which lets a customer share his goal savings progress with his networks on Facebook and Twitter, if he wishes.”

ICICI Bank, located in 20 countries, plays a large role in Social Money’s international strategy. It will launch the product later this year. 

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To learn more about Social Money, come to FinovateSpring and watch its live demo. To learn more about SmartyPig, watch its FinovateFall 2010 demo.

U.S. Bank Now Offers FreeMonee to Cardholders

Thumbnail image for FreeMoneeLogo.jpgLast month, we blogged about a FreeMonee FAQ page for U.S. Bank that hinted at a partnership. Today the bank partnered with the national gift network, making this official. 

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Now, the cash incentives are available for U.S. Bank cardholders to take advantage of the deals (from $2 to $50) provided by the merchant network. 
Here’s how it works:
“The FreeMonee Gifts are targeted to ensure they are relevant and valuable to customers. Cardholders redeem their gift by simply using their U.S. Bank Check Card when they shop at the specific retail store, website or restaurant named in their gift message. Once the purchase is completed, U.S. Bank automatically credits the cardholder’s account with the specified gift amount.”

U.S. Bank is the first financial institution to offer FreeMonee. As Clifford Cook, CMO for U.S. Bank Retail Payment Solutions states, “U.S. Bank is continually looking for ways to reward our loyal cardholders.”

The bank has not yet made the technology available to its consumers and has not announced when it will do so.
To learn more about FreeMonee, watch its FinovateFal 2011 demo

A Less Taxing April 15 from America First Credit Union

imageLooking for a little Friday afternoon diversion, I visited the website of the recent winner in the humor category of CUNA’s credit union marketing awards, America First Credit Union.

I liked the clever homepage graphic for its loan “billion dollar loan sale” (inset above). But what inspired this blog entry, was the credit union’s recognition that thousands of its members will be slogging through their Federal income tax returns this weekend (note 1).

America First put a prominent orange band across the top of its website (on all pages) reminding members where they could find 2011 tax info on their accounts (screenshot below). And like many financial institutions this time of year, the CU posted a link to TurboTax online for those needing last-minute assistance.

America First Credit Union homepage (13 April 2012)

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Note: U.S. national income tax returns must be filed by April 17, 2012, by anyone in the country with any income last year. 

Finovate Alumni News– April 13, 2012

  • Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgAdvisors4Advisors describes inStream Solutions as the future of professional wealth management software.
  • Bank Technology News highlights tech startups Dwolla, T8 Webware, and SmartyPig in the silicon prairie.
  • Main St looks at how TIO Networks helps the underbanked consumer.
  • HSBC UK introduces Fast Balance app from Monitise.
  • U.S. Bank now offers FreeMonee to cardholders.
This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You can also follow all the alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.

The Missing Tab at Banking Websites

image You can debate whether branches are dead or simply need a good pruning, but there is no argument about the importance of a well-designed website where prospective customers can learn about what you have to offer. 

Financial institutions do a good job showcasing products, rates, and available accounts. But shoppers, especially ones not already familiar with you, want to understand what it’s like to bank with you and whether you’ll be there for them if there’s a problem.

That’s something you can get a feel for when visiting a the brick-and-mortar branch. But try figuring that out online. Product info is everywhere, but what’s it REALLY like to bank there? 

So along with your usual product and line-of-business tabs, consider adding a tab on the primary navigation leading to a section highlighting the benefits of your bank or credit union. Many companies have an About page, but that’s often an afterthought and usually doesn’t make a strong case.

Here are two examples we found in a quick search, not coincidentally from web-only financial companies that don’t have the luxury of branch staff to explain their benefits:

  • Banking with Ally (first screenshot)
  • Get to know PayPal (second screenshot)  

Bottom line: It will be one of the more difficult sections to build. But also one of the more important.

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Ally Bank “Banking with Ally” (see screenshot below):

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PayPal “Get to Know PayPal” (15 March 2012)

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Finovate Alumni News– April 12, 2012

  • Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgDwolla redesigns dashboard page, reveals celebrity investor.
  • Intuit opens driving range in downtown Seattle for 1 day to promote its GoPayment technology.
  • mFoundry launches mobile banking solution for Conestoga Bank.
  • Utilities Employees CU signs a contract with Jwaala to enhance its online services and offer mobile banking.
  • eDeposit appoints Robert R. Craig as CEO. Come see its live demo at FinovateSpring May 8 and 9 in San Francisco.
  • Former Morgan Stanley CEO, John Mack, joins Lending Club’s board of directors.
  • NY Times Bucks blog covers SimpleTuition’s SmarterBank.
  • Social Money announces partnership with ICICI Bank in India.
This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You can also follow all the alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.

Dwolla Redesigns Dashboard Page, Reveals Celebrity Investor

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Alternative payments company, Dwolla has been covered quite a bit in the news lately. Here’s why:

First off, Silicon Prairie News reported that Dwolla rolled out a redesign of its user dashboard page on Sunday. There are no major changes, but the design is more user friendly and aesthetically pleasing. 

Here are the major changes:

1) Account balances are located at the top of the user’s dashboard page

2) Users send and request money using a text box below their photo
3) A text box in the middle of the page enables users to find contacts by entering their name, email address, or phone number

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4) There’s a new tab called Places (as seen below) that has a Foursquare application. There’s no identified use for this yet, but the text on the dashboard states, “We are currently in the process of building an awesome platform to help you find new places to use Dwolla!”

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5) During the registration process, users are immediately given 10 cents to send to five of their friends. Silicon Prairie explains how it works:

“Following a registration page, the first action a new user is encouraged to take is to send money, free money. ‘Search for someone and we’ll shoot them some cash on your behalf,’ Dwolla’s website says. Users have the ability to send 10 cents to an individual by entering an email address or phone number or connecting their Facebook account to send to a friend.”

The Iowa-based startup is also in the news for the confirmation of rumors that Ashton Kutcher invested in Dwolla’s recent Series B funding round. Kutcher, an Iowa native, broke the news on an episode of Prairie Cast yesterday. 

The Des Moines Register also covered the announcement and included 16 photos of Milne with Kutcher. Here’s Milne’s reaction of the experience:

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To learn more about Dwolla, watch its FinovateSpring 2011 demo and come to FinovateSpring May 8 and 9 to see Dwolla’s new technology that Milne refers to as, …”a 420-second demo of a first-of-its-kind technology.” Get your ticket here.

Finovate Alumni News– April 11, 2012

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  • Bazaarvoice appoints Kelly Connery as GM of brands in North America & Matthew Schatz as GM of retail & emerging markets.
  • SoMoLend wins first place prize in the University of Dayton’s 2011-12 Business Plan Competition. See it demo live at FinovateSpring.
  • Bank Technology News reports Intuit Buys M-Payments Co. AisleBuyer.
  • Over 100 institutional partners offer Currensee Trade Leaders Investment program to investors.
  • Expensify Lite iPhone app is now Expensify.
  • Mashable features Personal Capital. Come see its live demo at FinovateSpring.
  • Equifax launches ID protection & credit monitoring product for the family.
  • Ping Identity partners with Macnica Networks.
  • Kiplinger covers Betterment.
This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You can also follow all the alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.

FinovateSpring 2012 Sneak Peek: Part 1

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More than 60 leading fintech innovators, both startups and established companies, are gearing up to present at the annual FinovateSpring conference in San Francisco May 8 and 9.

Each company provided a sneak peek of what they’ll demo on stage next month. Below is the first installment of these teasers. We’ll have more next week.

Don’t miss your chance to see the live demo from each company and meet the execs responsible. Get your FinovateSpring ticket here.

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Balance Street

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The premier direct marketplace between consumers and creditors for the purpose of debt settlement, Balance Street, provides consumers the opportunity to relieve their debt burden without fees. Consumers use its web-based automated system to negotiate with creditors directly, avoiding debt settlement companies who charge exorbitant fees (up to 20% of total debt owed).

Eliminating this 20% market inefficiency makes for a better financial outcome for consumers and creditors. With over $780 billion in credit card debt in the U.S., the Balance Street technology will revolutionize the way debt is settled.

Innovation type: Cards, marketing, PFM

Bazaarvoice

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See how leading brands are harnessing the power of online word-of-mouth to boost customer referrals, sales, retention, advocacy, and company innovation while building the world’s most powerful social data asset.

Innovation type: Communications, marketing, sales and customer service

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BehavioSec

No one wants a complicated process for logging in to online or mobile banking. European banks have been forced to go down this route with hardware tokens and smart cards.

So now when U.S. banks will be rolling out new multi-layered security on the front-end following FFIEC, will we see the same thing here?

With BehavioSec’s solution there is a better choice. They add multilayered security through the use of behavioral biometrics. So when the user connects via mobile or online, the technology helps verify that they are who they say they are. Learn more at FinovateSpring 2012.

Innovation type: Identity, mobile, security

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BillGuard

BillGuard identifies deceptive, erroneous and unauthorized charges on consumer payment cards using advanced crowdsourcing and big-data mining techniques that harness the collective knowledge of millions of consumers reporting billing complaints online and to their banks. 

BillGuard’s Advanced Card Protection Service for Banks is a seamlessly integrated, cloud-based solution that enables issuers to generate new value-add service revenue, and lower inquiry/dispute processing costs, by providing their customers daily bill monitoring and notification, enriched transition details and direct-to-merchant resolution.
Innovation type: Cards, communications, online UI

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CoverHound is changing the way people shop for insurance online. Launching at FinovateSpring, CoverHound’s new rate comparison shopping service allows consumers for the first time to compare multiple, instant, accurate rates from top carriers. CoverHound will also be demonstrating an exciting array of products specifically designed to help banks and credit unions generate significant non-interest income while providing a valuable service to their members.
Innovation type: Insurance

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Never before has it been so easy for companies to provide business and retail customers with a way to validate creditworthiness through the use of online deposits. eDeposit provides patented funds visibility and real time settlement to markets across the U.S. in an innovative, new form of payment.
At FinovateSpring, eDeposit announces a new innovation that makes conducting B2B and B2C e-business faster, cheaper and safer.
Innovation type: Payments, security, small business

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From “check-in to check-out”, intersecting the worlds of Payments and Advertising, edo takes the next step forward in its vision to transform shopping and saving.  
This next wave connects mobile and multi-channel retail . . . imagine a world where purchase and location meet and the new standard for mobile advertising moves from “check-in” to “check-out.”
Innovation type: Marketing, mobile, rewards

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Expensify <3’s Finovate — they view it as the premier stage on which to make their biggest announcement of
the year. Three years ago, it launched an open beta on the Finovate stage. Two years ago, it unveiled a major realtime analytics feature. One year ago it launched a revolutionary SmartScan service. But this year will trump all that.  A whole new approach to business travel. Prepare yourself!

Innovation type: Back office, mobile, small business

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Most investors have assets spread across financial institutions and accounts, including limited-option accounts such as their employer’s 401(k) plan.
Managing this is a chore – including figuring out which funds, in which amounts, and rebalancing.
Well, it was a chore, before FutureAdvisor.
Innovation type: Investing and asset management, online, PFM

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Giftly is inventing the future of the gift card. Using its new iPhone app, users can send anyone a Giftly for any place they choose. The recipient redeems it on their smartphone when they go. It’s fast, fun, and secure.
Giftly’s app and web products have been designed to be social, simple, and powerful. Thanks to Facebook, Foursquare, and smart iOS integration, you’ll always know which friends are celebrating birthdays, are checking in to cool new places, or are otherwise in need of a quick gift.

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Is it possible to separate the fun of buying from the nuisance of paying? Klarna thinks so. The idea behind Klarna’s e-commerce services is the concept of after-delivery payment, letting buyers receive ordered goods before any payment is due. Instead of giving financial information, buyers shop with Klarna just by giving their name and select information (Klarna calculates the risk).
Innovation type: Payments

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Linkable Networks will be debuting a first-to-market capability that significantly broadens the value proposition of card-linked offers to issuing banks, merchants, manufacturers, and cardholding consumers. In addition, Linkable Networks will demonstrate new features recently added to its product platform and user interface.
Innovation type: Cards, mobile, rewards


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MShift believes that financial institutions need to enhance existing mobile banking solutions into mobile wallet and payment solutions.
At Finovate, MShift will demonstrate how mobile banking can influence how a consumer spends money in various retail scenarios.
Innovation type: Banking, payments, small business

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Your customers go mobile with smartphones and tablets. When they cannot fulfill their needs in mobile self-service, do you jump in at the right time to help them complete their business? Do you want to maximize the opportunity for smart customer experience and increased business via smart mobile devices (while reducing costs)? NICE Mobile Reach can do that for you. Don’t miss its demo at FinovateSpring.
Innovation type: Mobile, sales

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Personal Capital is wealth management for the Internet Age. The company’s online platform combines digital technology with highly personalized service to provide a holistic view of your unique financial picture. The free online dashboard presents all of your financial data in one place, including an assessment of your allocation, investment risk and fees.
These days, the financial lives of Americans are becoming more and more complex. At FinovateSpring, Personal Capital will unveil core new features that enable you to access your financial data in real time, on-the-go. You’ll be able to view and do, anywhere, anytime.
Innovation type: Investing, mobile, PFM

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Pindrop Security provides enterprise solutions that help prevent phone-based fraud. Pindrop’s acoustical fingerprinting technology detects fraudulent calls and authenticates legitimate callers, helping customers eliminate financial losses and reduce operational costs. Pindrop’s breakthrough technology is the first of its kind to fingerprint individual phone calls, providing verification of caller provenance. 
Recently named one of the 10 Most Innovative Companies at the 2012 RSA conference, Pindrop’s solutions help companies feel more confident in the security of phone-based financial transactions.
Innovation type: Identity,
security

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Easily administer and coordinate your annual budget with Budget Manager from ProfitStars. ProfitStars takes the headaches, and the spreadsheets, out of the budgeting process and optimize the efficiency and effectiveness of budgeting and planning.  
The company will show you how this newly redesigned browser-based version enables users to construct and manage a more efficient budgeting process, including how to tackle more difficult items like salaries and fixed assets.
Innovation type: Banking

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Discover a new Facebook app for banks that will not only make you relevant and engage Facebook users, but will also get your customers recommending and endorsing your card products.  It drives great loyalty from existing customers and also helps to devise new customer acquisition –all through Facebook. 

Serverside does this by letting people design their own credit or debit card using a picture from their Facebook gallery, then post it to their Facebook wall. Their friends then click on the card image to design their own card and help your bank to go viral!

Innovation type: cards


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Social Money can provide any bank in the world its own branded version of our revolutionary and award-winning SmartyPig technology. A new bank can be up and running on our system within 90 days in any language and currency, for a fraction of the cost of internal development efforts.
Innovation type: Banking products, PFM

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The dawn of compliance solutions that work.
Meet Molly. 115 different people use Molly’s SSN.
Financial institutions have no idea who these people really are.
This is possible because FIs and so-called identity protection companies can only verify identity. Verification is not enough. Full identification is needed to fight fraud and provide FIs the means to meet compliance requirements. Only Financial ICONN from TASCET can identify financial customers.
Once Molly activates her ICONN, TASCET proactively secures her identity and FIs know exactly who she is.
Innovation type: Identity, security

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Taulia takes the waste out of the supply chains of Fortune 500 Enterprises while simultaneously solving the cash-flow needs of their suppliers. The large enterprise buyers get discounts by paying their invoices early. In return, their suppliers get paid when they want. In Taulia’s young life, it has already enabled small suppliers from 40+ countries around the world to receive hundreds of millions of dollars of early payments.
Innovation type: Lending, payments, small business

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The Under-18 audience has an estimated $50 billion in spending power. Learn how to successfully monetize the kids/teen market in this powerful demo by Virtual Piggy, an exciting new company that provides innovative technological solutions to help bridge the gap between children, parents and online retailers.
Innovation type: Payments

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Wall Street Survivor is the only place for the beginner to learn about investing. Guided missions, beginner-focused learning content, combined with the web’s best stock simulator help users effectively manage their financial future.
Innovation type: Investing & asset management, marketing, PFM

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Mobi
le commerce is estimated to be a $31 billion industry by 2015, but how will the underbanked participate? Wipit has unlocked mobile payments for this massive and largely untapped consumer demographic representing 25% of all U.S. households and over 70 million U.S. prepaid wireless subscribers. Underbanked consumers can now make in-app and online payments with a single click. No need for bank accounts or credit cards; Wipit lets underbanked consumers use their payment method of choice– cash.
Innovation type: Cards, payments
Stay tuned next week for another sneak peek of FinovateSpring 2012 presenting companies.

Target Fee-Based Security & Control Packages to Small Business Owners

image A few days ago we published a new Online Banking Report: Delivering that Secure Feeling, arguing for the creation of fee-based subscription packages for those that need more security/privacy assurance than the typical consumer.

What we probably should have made clearer is that this is NOT a product strategy for the mass market. It’s geared toward high-end, wealthier customers and/or businesses that have a lot more to lose if their accounts are compromised.

The need for more security is especially acute for the small business owner, especially larger small businesses keeping five- and six-figure balances, sharing account access with accountants, bookkeepers, and partners, while making 100s of transactions per month.

In addition, business accounts generally operate without Federal consumer protections, so fraud losses may have to be absorbed by the business, unless they can prove negligence by financial institution. Litigating a major fraud loss is an ugly situation that should be avoided if at all possible.

That’s why it’s a win-win-win when a biz-banking client pays a fee for extra fraud protection:

  • Biz customers have fewer worries
  • Bank profits from the fee-based service
  • Fewer unreimbursed fraud losses save both parties time, money and potentially massive ill will

Take it from this small-biz owner. For 15+ years I have wished for more security/control and would be more than happy to pay for it, really! (see note 1). Every single day I dread opening the multiple email alerts from my biz bank afraid that one day I will join the the small but growing number of biz owners that have had their accounts looted (note 2).

Commercial customers have sophisticated tools at their disposal, but the smaller biz is often left using consumer-type controls. This is not how it should be.

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Notes:
1. I’ve long said that I’d be willing to pay $500/mo for the perfect package of online business banking, payment, bookkeeping, and customer-management services. I stand by that statement (though I’d probably pay even more now that we have more international issues with the Finovate event). See our Online Bankin Report on micro and small businesses for more info.
2. Here’s one of the paradoxes of more communications, more “worry events.” In the past, I would have only dreaded opening my statement once per month. Now I have that little pit in my stomach several times each day. That doesn’t seem right.
3. Image licensed from Shutterstock.

Mobile Banking & Payments by the Numbers

Statement rewards provider and BillShrink parent, Truaxis, published a nice summary of mobile banking and payments on its blog (reprinted with permission below).

A few Industry Players metrics at the bottom of the infographic have recently been updated:

  • Starbucks said this week it has processed 42 million mobile payments, up from 26 million (Venture Beat, 9 April 2012)
  • Square has now shipped 1 million readers, up from 500,000; and is now processing $11 million per day, up from $4 mil (Splatf, 5 March 2012)

Mobile banking & payment infographic

MoneyDesktop Adds 19 Credit Union Clients

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Yesterday MoneyDesktop, financial management tool developer, announced the addition of 19 Credit Union clients. 

The new clients will use MoneyDesktop’s PFM solution to bring their members the money management solution within their online banking platform.

Below is the list of newly added clients:

  • Day Air Credit Union
  • Cumberland County Federal Credit Union
  • San Antonio Citizens Federal Credit Union
  • Peninsula Federal Credit Union
  • Achieve Financial Credit Union
  • Torrance Community Federal Credit Union
  • AAC Credit Union
  • Tomah Area Credit Union
  • Ukrainian Selfrelaince New England Federal Credit Union
  • Spirit of America Federal Credit Union
  • Health Employees Federal Credit Union
  • Evergreen Credit Union
  • Omaha Douglas Federal Credit Union
  • Family Focus Federal Credit Union
  • Northern Paper Mills Credit Union
  • Air Guard Federal Credit Union
  • Newaygo County Service Employees Credit Union
  • Oshkosh Truck Credit Union
  • Northern Teachers Community Credit Union

This brings the Utah-based startup’s total number of clients up to over 260.

To learn more about MoneyDesktop, come see its FinovateSpring 2012 demo in San Francisco on May 8 and 9. Get your ticket here.