Digital banking from the inside out

This post is sponsored by Standard Chartered.

Let?s be real: The future of banking is digital

In 1999, we would have dismissed the ?realities? in The Matrix movie as far-fetched when it was first released. Fast-forward to today, artificial intelligence is no longer a new buzzword. The world is undergoing a digital transformation that is constantly reshaping the way we work, live and play.

From physical thumbprints to touch IDs, and online banking tokens to digital tokens, it is no surprise that digitisation is becoming the next frontier in banking, and it is very much the way forward.

Having won the gold award at the 2019 Mob-Ex Awards for Best Banking Services App for its SC Mobile 2.0 app recently, Standard Chartered Bank is moving in the right direction with its commitment to simplifying lives and making banking convenient through enhanced digital capabilities.

Banking on real emotions and needs

The SC Mobile 2.0 app has been designed based on real people, real emotions and real needs to create a truly human-centric banking experience ? from its aesthetics down to its functionalities.

From the get-go, users are greeted with an aesthetically appealing cityscape video that took hours to build in ? just so that mobile data is not required to load the visuals whenever the app is opened. It is interchangeable to fit different occasions and themes to connect with clients emotionally.

Functionally, there were several enhancements added in the app to make clients? experiences more economical and seamless. These included:

1. Improved service journeys

Access to smartphones has fundamentally changed consumers? relationships with information. Previously, information and control resided solely in the hands of the companies which owned them. Now, everything we need is at our fingertips.

To offer clients greater convenience and control, self-service requests have been embedded into the SC Mobile app. The common service requests that the bank usually receives over the counter such as the updating of personal particulars, registering or cancelling a credit card, requesting a new cheque book or replacing a lost card ? can now be done via SC Mobile, anytime, anywhere. This way, clients can experience a more convenient way of banking.

?Card requests, which used to require branch, website or call centre aid, can now be done swiftly on our enhanced platform. With this, we have seen double the number of customers making card requests through digital channels,? said Natalia Goh, head of credit cards and personal loans, Singapore.

2. Investing in real-time client onboarding

?What used to take four to five days to onboard a customer can now be completed within seven to ten minutes,? said Nauman Bashir, head of digital banking, Singapore.

Standard Chartered Bank now offers instant credit card and disbursement of personal loans approval via online banking and SC Mobile. This is supported by real-time client onboarding, which leverages on MyInfo to help clients save a significant amount of time usually needed on lengthy form-filling.

Upon receiving immediate approval on their applications, clients can easily access their digital card details on their SC Mobile app, which they can start using instantly with Apply Pay, Google Pay or Samsung Pay wallets.

The bank?s investment in real-time client onboarding has yielded much success with over 80% of existing clients having their entries instantly approved. This is part of an ongoing process to make banking simpler and faster for clients.

SC Mobile 2.0 ? real hacks

Here are some pro tips that will help make your life easier with the SC Mobile 2.0 App:

1. Tired of typing your username and password every time you log in? SC Mobile integrates with Apple?s Touch/Face ID security functions and you can choose to enable this feature, which will allow you to log-in to SC Mobile using your pre-registered thumbprint or face recognition.
2. Frustrated with the PayNow limit for big purchases? The SC Mobile app allows users to add new PayNow payees so that you can transfer more than S$1,000 seamlessly to a vendor or a friend.
3. If you are looking to travel abroad and are waiting for the best currency exchange rates, you can make use of the LiveFX tool located at the side of your app to monitor overseas currencies. You will be able to set and receive instant notifications when the market rate reaches your target!
4. Looking for travel insurance? You can now browse for single-trip or annual policies from Allianz on SC Mobile and pay via your Standard Chartered account or credit card to confirm your purchase.
5. Keep yourself updated with the latest market insights and investment themes with our digitalised market commentaries that are available 24 hours a day. You can read, watch and listen to market views via your SC Mobile and make informed investment decisions.

Designed with you in mind, the award-winning SC Mobile 2.0 combines an intuitive interface with powerful features to make mobile banking simpler, better and more secure for all your banking needs.

For more information on SC Mobile, click?here.

Download the app today if you haven?t already done so: