There are many who agree that it is impossible to imagine a life without smart phones or mobile apps. This is because they can do literally anything with them ranging from checking emails; staying connected to social media to turn off the electronic equipments in a house. People have started relying on them completely to run their lives however, one area still worries the users and i.e. mobile banking apps. The Federal Reserve data show that in the year 2011-2012, only 21 percent users used mobile banking apps. However, despite this every major national bank has its own mobile apps. So, what is the issue that daunts smart phone users from using them for mobile banking? The answer is “fear”.
It is because of security issues that only one of every five users has used his smart phone for mobile banking. Many private research companies have been examining the strategies and tools used by banking institutions to provide outstandingly secure services. Google revealed why four out of five mobile banking customers are worried about mobile banking security is because they lack knowledge about tools and techniques used by banks to secure mobile banking experience. My advice to banking institutions is that before releasing the app, they should arrange to lessen the fears dwelling in the customer’s mind. They can do this by educating customers about the security features in the apps, how do they work and how effective they are.
Trends say that users want to access their bank accounts through mobile apps in straightforward and trouble free manner. This is another point that banking sector should keep in mind. Although they don”t use mobile banking option as they are unsure about its safeness in terms of accessing a bank account. Using banking apps is far safer than going to the bank and interact with the staff directly or accessing the account via your desktop or a laptop. You must be thinking that I have been paid by a bank to admire their services but this is not so. Why I am mentioning this is because I myself use mobile banking apps to access my bank account anywhere anytime. For banking institutions, it is easier to manage the security of mobile apps as compared to the security of a web browser. While accessing your account through a web-based browser, you expose your bank details to malware and unwanted third-party viewers. Don’t think that by implementing two-way authentication system, you can safeguard your account completely as recent breaches were made in accounts that were using two-way authentication system.
Mobile apps, on the other hand are safer, as they provide a direct link with the bank’s server without involving any third party. This is why I said above that banks have better control over security of mobile apps. Since a bank gets apps specifically for their users, they can provide a safe connection via SSL encryption. Another major benefit of smart phones and mobile apps is that they can be controlled even from remote locations. This means that even if your phone is misplaced or stolen, you can use your computer and the Internet connection to wipe the confidential information saved in it.
CONCLUSION
To popularize the trend of mobile apps in banking institutions, both users and banks has to play an equally important role. The role of customers would to become broad-minded and start having faith in their banks, whereas banks’ duty would be to make sure that they don”t break the trust of the consumers and provide more robust and secure mobile banking experience through mobile apps.