Yapi Kredi Bank Launches ‘branchless Banking’ With Monitise

Turkish bank launches Nuvo, a branchless banking and mobile commerce service powered by Monitise

Monitise (LSE: MONI), a global leader in Mobile Money – banking, paying and buying with a mobile device –announced a new partnership with Yapı Kredi Bank, one of Turkey’s largest banks, to offer Nuvo – a ‘branchless banking’ service with mobile commerce capabilities. Nuvo allows customers to open accounts and complete all their transactions via mobile and internet banking, removing the need to ever visit a branch.

Nuvo enables consumers to manage their money and take advantage of mobile shopping and commerce services in their own time and from anywhere. Account features include competitive interest rates, free account transactions and money transfers, and perks such as Yapı Kredi’s World Gold or Play Card loyalty programmes. In addition to delivering banking convenience, Nuvo offers exclusive shopping benefits to its users, including discounts and reduced delivery costs.

With the number of transactions made via smartphones set to double in 2017 and mobile payment transaction volumes estimated to quadruple in size to reach $1.3 trillion^[1], Yapı Kredi Bank will draw on the combination of Monitise’s heritage in mobile banking and its commerce expertise, bridging commerce with banking to provide a leading consumer experience. Monitise has worked with retailers such as eBay, ING, Turkish Airlines, B&Q, Carphone Warehouse, Premier Inn and Hepsiburada.com.

Yapı Kredi is one of the largest private banks in Turkey, with ten million customers and 143 billion Turkish Lira in assets under management. Monitise (formerly Pozitron) has been working with Yapı Kredi since 2010, developing its core banking app for eight platforms. Yapı Kredi, whose main shareholders include UniCredit Group, maintains a leading position in value-generating services and products leveraging innovative banking technologies.

Nuvo is currently available on iOS and Android, in both Turkish and English. Yapı Kredi estimates that Nuvo will have over 300,000 customers in its first year, with one million active users within five years.

Commenting on the collaboration, Fatih İşbecer, CEO of Monitise MEA, said: “Monitise is thrilled to continue its long-standing partnership with Yapı Kredi bank, a leading innovator in the Mobile Money space in Turkey, with the introduction of Nuvo. With nearly half of Turkish internet users now banking via mobile^[2], today’s consumer values a seamless, secure, and enjoyable banking experience. This new service is a fantastic example of how this can be achieved.”

Peter Radcliffe, President International at Monitise, added: “Nuvo is an exceptionally exciting product. Its launch speaks volumes about the power of technology to transform consumer banking and commerce, enabling banks to stay competitive, drive new forms of revenue and play a bigger role in their customers’ lives. This is another great example of the role Monitise is playing at the centre of the Mobile Money ecosystem, connecting brands and fostering collaboration to provide an engaging consumer experience.”

[1]Source: Mobile Banking: Financial Services Meets Electronic Wallet study, conducted by international auditing and consulting firm EY and Knowledge@Wharton, February 2014

[2] Source: ING Financial empowerment study, conducted by Ipsos, July 2013