Out-Law News 1 min. read

Drop in internet banking as rise in banking apps use is recorded


The number of logins to internet banking services has fallen for the first time, as consumers make ever greater use of mobile banking apps, according to new industry figures.

The British Bankers' Association (BBA) said that there were on average 4.3 million internet banking logins per day in 2015, down 2% on comparable data for the year previously.

In contrast, at nearly 11m the number of banking app logins a day during 2015 increased 50% from 2014, the BBA said.

According to data from eight major banks and building societies, the number of payments made using internet banking services remains, for now, higher than the number of payments made using banking apps. There were 417m internet banking payments recorded in the UK in 2015, up 2% on 2014 figures, and 347m banking app payments last year, which represented a 54% rise on the number of transactions made using such apps in 2014.

The BBA said that while mobile banking services are on the rise, the average number of visits to branches by bank customers per day has fallen 32% since 2011.

"In the past year, more and more of us have turned to banking apps to manage our finances," the BBA said in its 'The Way We Bank Now' report (49-page / 2.28MB PDF). "More than 40,000 of these applications were downloaded a day in 2015 – a 25% rise on the year before. Our latest industry figures show there were nearly 11 million logins a day to banking apps in 2015 – a 50% rise on the year before."

"Anyone who doubts just how much mobile banking has become part of the daily routine for millions of us should consider just how frequently customers login to their apps. Some BBA members have reported that the average customer now logs in to check their balance or make a payment 36 times a month," it said.

The BBA said that the speed of access to banking apps may be a factor behind their increased popularity.

"The apps themselves are usually fast and easy, allowing us to check our balances in, say, three seconds rather than the 30 seconds necessary to login to internet banking or perhaps 10 minutes to travel to the nearest cash machine to check," the BBA said. "Features such as fingerprint ID started to appear on mobile apps last year, allowing people to access their banking app with just a tap or two of their screen – even faster than keying in a four-digit passcode."

The BBA said that the speed of mobile broadband connectivity might have a bearing on the respective popularity of internet banking services and mobile banking apps.

"Internet banking will remain an important part of how millions of us choose to bank," the BBA said. "For those who work on a desktop computer or live in areas where 4G or even 3G network coverage is limited, internet banking may still be more convenient."

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