Nedbank is making digital banking easier, safer and more affordable for entry-level clients with new updates to its Nedbank Money App Lite cellphone app.
"With the COVID-19 pandemic restricting people’s movements, and many bank clients reluctant to go into branches for their safety, online and mobile banking channels have become more important than ever," says Tawanda Chatikobo, Head of Digital Channels at Nedbank.
"South Africa, however, has some of the lowest levels of comfort with technology and an enduring affinity for cash, which is not even restricted to income levels," he says.
First launched in September 2019, the Nedbank Money App has been positively received by Android users. Now, this much lighter version of the award-winning Nedbank Money App offers all the same transactional features, but with none of the frills. This means a faster, simpler experience with the same level of security as the Nedbank Money App.
Consumer feedback and the strong market appetite since the launch have moved Nedbank to take the next step of adding more features to the Nedbank Money App Lite, including:
- Biometric sign-on (fingerprint and face identification);
- Card and PIN registration (without going into a branch); and
- Chat functionality to contact an agent directly from the app, with no need to dial a call centre.
"We are seeing more and more services and products being bought online, with financial services providers leading the way," Chatikobo says.
The Nedbank Money App Lite is a progressive Web app, which means it never has to be updated. It is also one of the very few apps that need the least amount of space on a smartphone, taking up less than five megabytes (5MB).
It enables clients to buy electricity, data and even Lotto tickets from their phone at any time of the day, and even the most tech-phobic users realise the massive lifestyle, cost and security benefits.
Deloitte research published in September 2019: "The future of payments in South Africa – Enabling financial inclusion in a converging world", shows that although 80% of South Africans have a bank account, most consumer transactions are still cash-based. There are more than 80 million bank cards in circulation, including the approximately 17 million South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) cards, and a mobile penetration rate of 157%.
However, the research also states that more and more consumers and merchants are interested in innovative ways of transacting. Mastercard’s contribution to the research revealed that 73% of banked consumers are ready to pay with their phones, and 44% of informal merchants are interested in mobile payment apps.
With the economic recession, increasingly sophisticated and secure digital channels, and now with the COVID-19 pandemic, South Africans are becoming more digital at faster rates.
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