ING Direct has announced that it launched a Cheque-In feature for all their customers. Initially the bank had introduced a beta edition of the service that enabled users to snap a picture of their cheque from the back and front with an iPhone so they could directly deposit money into their account. After launching that beta version of Cheque-In, ING conducted a survey, which depicted that 55 percent of Canadians have deposited at least one cheque in their account by mailing it to the bank branch (1 percent), bringing it directly to the bank (41 percent) or deposited in an ATM (71 percent).
At that time, president and CEO of ING Direct Canada, Peter Aceto said that, “We are excited that many of our clients with iPhones can now benefit from the ability to deposit cheques using their phones. This is yet another proof point of how mobile banking innovation and technology is useful and relevant for Canadians. The Cheque-In process is a safe, reliable way for iPhone users to deposit their cheques quickly and without the hassle of going to a bank branch or ATM.”
As a result of this survey, ING decided to roll out the feature for all users. However, the significant thing was that ING was the first bank to introduce the service in spite of the fact that Westminster Savings has always remained a head of it in term of innovation. Now ING’s Cheque-In feature is available on Android, iOS, Windows 8 tablets and Canada’s very own BlackBerry 10.
Chief Information Officer of ING Direct, Charaka Kithulegoda said that, “Security in banking is a natural concern for Canadians, particularly when new features and platforms are introduced. Our aim, first and foremost, is to protect our clients and their money, and we’ve implemented several features to ensure our Clients’ accounts are secure when it comes to mobile and social banking. We recognize that consumers expect options and choices when it comes to banking, and our new Facebook app is another way we are making managing, tracking and saving money more accessible and convenient.”
Canadian Payments Association (CPA) has reported that on every business day consumers and businesses in Canada usually write about four million cheques and each of the cheques is physically handled on numerous occasions, as it goes to settlement after going through the clearing system.
CEO of CPA, Gerry Gaetz said that,“Modernizing Canada’s payments system is a key focus for the Canadian Payments Association. We are facilitating the use of image technology to make the cheque clearing process more efficient. Using the CPA’s comprehensive legal and operational framework for imaging, Canadian financial institutions can now develop and offer new image-based products and services, such as remote deposit capture, to their customers.
Source: TechVibes
Photo: TechVibes