I spoke recently during the mobile track at the annual NetFinance conference in Arizona.  My slot at the end of the first day meant that by the time my turn rolled around, I was faced with good news and bad news.  It was good that there was so much agreement among all the participants, and [...]

ING Direct Canada recently launched a new marketing campaign in order to promote RSPs (Retirement Savings Plan). The campaign includes a TV commercial that depicts someone suffering from anxiety and depression during RSP season. The commercial has resulted in a rash of negative comments and complaints (see ING’s Facebook page below) alleging that the commercial is [...]

Should banks have a Facebook presence? What should they actually offer to customers via Facebook? Should it be informational or dare I say it, transactional? A couple of interesting announcements and feelers have surfaced lately: FNB (South Africa) launches banking via Facebook Citigroup Asks Facebook Users If They’d Like Social Banking Commonwealth Bank (Australia) to [...]

Yesterday, I was informed by Obopay that they have ranked me in their top 10 Twitter influencers in North America. Before I pat myself on the back, and get you to congratulate me, I’d like you all to consider what this really means. I’d like to thank Obopay for the accolade, but the answer is [...]

Earlier this week, startup Movenbank came under fire for allowing users to its alpha site to sign in using Facebook credentials. Should Facebook be used to identify and authenticate users at a banking site? I commend the Movenbank team for trying something different and for attempting to use a standard that’s already in place. I [...]

I’m still inundated with inquiries from financial institutions regarding social media. Everyone seems to be so concerned with getting on Facebook or Twitter. It’s as if that would solve all the woes of the banking industry. A very popular website, Mashable, put out an article yesterday titled, 5 Best Practices for Financial Institutions on Facebook. [...]

It’s been a busy few weeks. I rounded out a stretch of business travel with a visit to Austin, Texas for the NACHA Payments Conference. Bob Meara and I spent most of the time catching up with our clients and meeting some new and exciting prospects. My first day in Austin was a doozy, as [...]

I came across the following article yesterday about Payoff.com, a new fintech startup that, “turns financial planning into a game.” The blending of savings goals, badges, and social features piqued my interests and I headed over to take a look. The intro video explaining the solution is really slick and does a good job at [...]

The BAI Retail Delivery conference is just coming to a close, and I attended along with the my colleagues in the Celent banking team. Attendance definitely appeared to be up over last year. The 2009 event was depressing from an attendance perspective, and I was happy to see the ramp up. The Las Vegas venue [...]

Many industry commentators who attended MasterCard’s Worldwide Media and Analyst Symposium on September 23rd in Purchase, NY noted the confident tone of the company, the energetic and fired-up management team and how the firm views some of the major challenges for the industry (e.g. the Frank-Dodd act) as opportunities. However, I think one of the [...]