We’re paying so much attention to the medium that perhaps we’re missing the message.

The rapid rise of smartphones and the matching rise in mobile banking transactions are too powerful to miss or dismiss.

If mobile isn’t yet consumers’ preferred method for transactions, it soon will be, as evidenced by their thirst for remote deposit capture, intra-account transfers, and person-to-person payments. And it’s quickly becoming their favorite way to obtain information.

Mobile banking use will double globally in the next four years, a new survey from KPMG predicts. And a growing number of consumers consider a credit union’s mobile banking service a key attraction.

So if mobile is the medium, what is the message?

Mobile banking is the nexus that will finally drive advice out of the branch, away from human advisors, and into members’ hands.

continue reading »