Column Otbert de Jong

The recent credit crisis must have dramatically changed the public perception of banks. The big question now is whether the public is also going to act on this new perception. Will they demand a changed attitude and behaviour of their banks or are they too passive to vote with their feet and change their financial arrangements.

To a certain extent clients of banks were of course themselves just as greedy as the bankers, chasing yield and return as hard as they could, ignoring risk and ethics as long as the returns would come in. Some would even give their money to people they would meet at the tennis club as long as returns would be handsome. No questions asked.

So how high will the principles of banking Holland be and how big the need for a new way of banking? And how about the banks? Will they really change their stripes and do they anticipate a changed attitude and vigilance of their clients? Or will they just re-spray some of their old products and effectively continue business as usual?

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Mobile banking, checking your balance and in some cases transferring money using your cellphone, is gaining in popularity.

It is not unlikely that in the near future all ad-hoc payments will be done with a cellphone in hand. In some cases, however, you still need the cash.

The Dutch ING bank released a free application for the G1 Google Phone that allows users to find ATM machines in their vicinity. The application, called ‘wegwijzer‘, locates ATMs near the current location or a location of choice, and displays them as a list, on a two dimensional map, or in ‘augmented reality’ mode where the location is pointed out in the camera view. Simply aim the phone’s camera at the horizon and a marker on the screen shows where the money is.

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Humor makes the world go ’round, and has now invaded the world of banking. This month, the Australian UBank has started making financial news accessible for the common man.

They have created a two-and-a-half minute news bulletin on Youtube, full of humor, and with the right balance between content and clarity. It is an interesting and refreshing way to reach an audience that would otherwise find the world of banking too dull or difficult to understand.

source: Frislicht.com