A bank that can go anywhere, anytime, and fits in the pocket

Melissa Henson, Citibank Vice President for eBusiness, demonstrates to reporters the many features of their Mobile Banking Application for smartphones such as full access to account information and alerts on promos and special privileges. Photo courtesy of Fuentes Manila

MANILA, Philippines – This bank can go anywhere, is open anytime, and fits inside the pocket of your jeans.

And this is what Citibank has unveiled – its complete suite of Mobile Banking Applications for today’s widely popular smartphones such as iPhone, Blackberry and Android phones.

Aneth Ng-Lim, Citibank Country Corporate Affairs, said in a roundtable discussion with the media that their free mobile app was designed to fit the lifestyle of their clients who are always on the go and have a need to constantly access their accounts.

“This launch bolsters our claim that Citibank services are available to our clients anywhere and anytime, now through whichever communication channel they prefer,” Sergio Zanatti, Consumer Business Manager for Citibank Philippines said in a statement.

Through the free downloadable app, clients have full access to any of their accounts to view their balance, recent transactions, credit limit, etc., Lim said.

Paying utility bills and transferring funds between accounts has also become a breeze because the app is available anytime and anywhere, she said.

“Citibank’s Mobile Banking Apps allow the popular transactions such as account inquiry, bill payments and fund transfers,” Citibank said in their statement.

“Clients can check their credit card balance as well as their savings, checking and dollar accounts in one glance [and] they can transfer funds or pay bills right from their smart phone,” it said.

Citibank’s mobile banking application is fully synchronized with its other available banking methods such as their phone and internet banking so that all transactions will reflect accurately in each client’s account, Lim said.

This also meant that a client can immediately check their account after a purchase through their smart phone, allowing clients to check if the purchase amount has been reflected accurately and prevent any double-entry transactions, Lim said.

Citibank’s wide array of promos, discounts, freebies, can be viewed in the app to inform the user about any nearby establishments that carry these exclusive privileges.

So for example, if a client is looking for a place to eat, Citibank’s Mobile App can display a list of nearby restaurants that have special discounts or freebies for Citibank clients, Lim said.

The app can also show which shopping establishments or entertainment and leisure centers give special privileges to Citibank clients, she said.

“The Mobile Banking App provides the ultimate guide to Citibank’s list of discounts, freebies, and treats for clients,” it said.

The Rewards Catalogue is also available in the app to allow clients who have accumulated enough rewards points to claim their prizes from a wide range of categories such as travel and leisure, charity, shopping and style, electronics and gadgets, dining, etc.

The app can also be used to locate any of Citibank’s branches or Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) which it will quickly pinpoint in a map display.

Melissa Henson, Vice President, eBusiness Regional Consumer Bank, said that their app has had over 5,000 downloads since it was launched a few months ago with most of the downloads being made from iPhones.

Henson demonstrated the security features of the Mobile Banking Application to the media from both an iPhone and an Android smart phone.

Clients are required to log in using their username and password after which they must answer correctly one personal security question that the client previously made. Up to five personal security questions can be made from which three will be asked randomly every time the client logs in, Henson said.

The app is also configured to automatically log out if the client has been inactive for a certain number of minutes to prevent unauthorized access, she said.

Citibank itself will also perform verification procedures if ever there are any suspicious transactions made with the account, she added.

The app can be downloaded through the different smart phones’ respective app download sites simply by searching “Citibank Philippines.”

“As newer technologies are rolled out, banking becomes highly accessible and increasingly flexible for everyone,” their statement said.