Bank Islam launches SMS banking service

9/21/2004 5:50:00 PM GMT

On Tuesday Bank Islam Malaysia became the first bank in the country to introduce a short messaging system (SMS) banking service, bankislam.SMS, to make it easier for their customers to access its service via SMS from any mobile service.

Wan Ismail Wan Yusoh, Bank Islam’s consumer banking division general manager, said that Bank Islam expects that at least 10 percent of its existing 500,000 auto teller machine (ATM) card holders to subscribe to bankislam.SMS.

At the moment, Bank Islam has 1.2 million depositors.

Wan Ismail said that the service, which uses plain SMS technology, will enable users to use their existing SIM cards to operate the service without changing or upgrading their existing mobile phone SIM cards.

In a press conference following the launching of the bank's latest e-banking service by Datuk Mohd Yusoff Nasir, its chairman, Wan Ismail said: "Currently, SMS banking services offered by other local banks restrict users to only one or two particular telephone company provider and require them to change or upgrade their mobile phone SIM cards to be able to use their mobile banking services."

Mohd Yusoff said that the launching of bankislam.SMS marked another milestone for the bank in its efforts to offer better banking products and services to its customers.

Bank Islam has spent about RM1.5 million to develop bankislam. SMS.

"This new service complements the purpose of our existing e-banking channels, namely our ATM network and Internet banking services, bankislam.biz in providing our customers with an added convenience, flexibility and cost-saving option in conducting their banking transactions," Mohd Yusoff said.

Bank Islam also believes that bankislam.SMS will contribute towards cost saving in its operations and further enhance its service efficiency to customers.

Mohd Yusoff also said:"It is hoped that bankislam.SMS will assist us in diverting our customers from our banking halls to this new service, thus enabling us to save on the cost of operating or opening new service outlets.

We hope to use the money that we save to upgrade and enhance the systems that support our alternative delivery channels, hence improving our operational efficiency and quality of service to our customers."

He added that as a security feature, users would be notified via their mobile phones of any large amounts debited from their accounts or withdrawals from ATMs. Such alerts are a security notification to detect unauthorized withdrawals.

Targeted at Bank Islam's existing ATM card holders between the ages of 22 to 40, bankislam.SMS offers about 30 different banking services and transactions including balance inquiry, funds transfer, financing payments, utility bills payments and mobile phone pre-paid reload.

Customers can also obtain real-time alerts and information on their accounts and transactions and promotional messages from the banks.

Bank Islam has added the services of AKN Messaging Technologies to provide SMS messaging solutions and Axis Systems as delivery software systems for online banking solutions for the bankislam.SMS service.

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