"We used to have the perception that, as financial institutions, we needed to wrap our arms around our members...But we are seeing a trend where self-service is perceived as good service. Consumers really want to be able to enact their own controls and provide their own service." Caroline Willard, CO-OP Financial Services
4. INSECURITY
2% 91%
36%
think mobile
wallets are
safe in store.
think theyโve
surrendered their
right to privacy.
are reluctant
to try a mobile
wallet because
of security.
โfatigue
denialโ.
Consumers feel
and
5. USAGE
Up 100% for young adults.
TRANSFERS
HALF of young adults did a
P2P transfer in 2014.
2014
31% of young adults and 28% of mobile
banking users switched financial institutions
over the past two years, compared to 20% in
2013.
NOW
Young adults and mobile banking users are
now nearly TWICE as likely as the average
U.S. consumer (16%) to have switched.
MOBILE IS A MOTIVATOR
P2P IN 2014
SWITCHING
INSTITUTIONS
11. Director of Product Development, CO-OP Financial Services
MICHELLE THORNTON
Founder, Ondot Systems
RACHNA AHLAWAT
CEO dnd Cofounder, Finivation
BRIAN BODELL
MOBILE WALLETS
EXPERTS
Editor's Notes
[Thank roundtable participants for participating]
Today weโre talking not just about wallets wallets wallets, as John MacAllister said, but specifically about the issue of security and mobile wallets. Because weโre all here at THINK 15, where weโre determined to Seize the Now, we want to take a minute right now to point out that both security and mobile wallets are part of huge topics of interest to consumers. Itโs not only important to understand these trends individually, and to understand how they intersect each other, but also to understand how they intersect with you. Because in addition to representing a busy, noisy, active marketplace, the opportunities here apply to you.
People say theyโre afraid that mobile is not secure, but theyโre using it at an accelerating pace. Here are just a few recent statistics.
[review slide]
These statistics are from Mercator. In their most recent biannual consumer survey, they found that young adults used P2P twice as much in 2014 as they did in 2013. About half of young adults had done a P2P transfer in the last year.
That same group was also much more likely to have switched financial institutions in the 2014 survey โ up about 50 percent from the 2013 survey and about twice as likely to have switched FIs as the average consumer.
P2P is one of the most popular mobile banking features, and Mercator thinks itโs driving mobile growth and inspiring young consumers to switch.
So, consumers are using more mobile banking, more P2P and more mobile wallets even though theyโre living with insecurity. What does that mean? Weโre going to go out on a limb here and say that modern consumers are experiencing an insecurity gap. That is, they are aware of security concerns. They worry about security. But they want to participate in a culture that is increasingly and irresistibly mobile.
Our big question here today is, can we help members bridge this gap? Can we Minding the Gapthey want and need? Can we make it safe for them to use mobile wallets โ and mobile banking and bill pay and P2P? And maybe just as important, can we help them act and feel more secure, so they can feel confident about mobile transactions โ and confident about us.
That being said, how do we move forward? How do we participate in the mobile wallet space? And how do we make sure weโre doing it in the most secure, confidence-inspiring way?
Letโs look quickly at the situation:
Hereโs a slide weโre getting pretty good at making. Thatโs because every time we do a new mobile wallet presentation, we need to change up the wallets depicted. This market changes quickly, and so do our slides.
Today Iโm going to forgo the usual wrapup on whoโs acquired whom and who is now history. Instead, I want to take a look at the characters assembled here and ask you, as credit unions, which of these options youโd like to offer to your members.
If you pick Apple Pay, youโre choosing a market that Mercator estimates will spend $1 trillion in 2015 โ and around $2.3 trillion by 2020.
On the other hand, Android users make up half of the smartphone market, so Samsung Pay seems like an obvious choice too. Itโs compatible with both NFC and mag stripes, so users can use it almost anywhere.
Then again, the merchants behind CurrentC represent $1 trillion in annual sales. PayPal is the biggest mobile wallet; you donโt want to overlook that one. Google Wallet โ the wallet that wonโt die โ has a new outlook on life now that itโs acquired Softcard, which used to be Isis. And, of course, it doesnโt seem smart to rule out Visa or MasterCard.
In past years, weโve seen some sketchy players in the mobile wallet space. But really every player on this slide is a big gun. If you donโt have to, I donโt think you want to opt out of working with any of these guys.
If you want to keep your options open โ and secure โ you may need to make some investments.
Apple Pay and many of the new wallets that are rolling out are powered by tokenization. If you donโt already have tokenization service set up, you can get it โ and it isnโt too prohibitive to do so. VIsa Checkout and MasterCard MasterPass both work with Host Card Emulation. Without going into the technical details there, this is also a security feature thatโs available to credit unions who use Visa or MasterCard, and itโs free [NOTE: IS THAT CORRECT?]
Here, EMV doesnโt really apply much in this environment. Itโs more relevant for card-present transactions.
Controls and alerts products, like CardNav, arenโt really wallet-specific, though we think they can have a major impact on both mobile engagement and promoting a sense of self-empowerment for members. And it definitely makes an impact on security.
Here is a good example of credit unions seizing the now. In the past, weโve presented new ideas, breakthrough technologies, leading edge trends. Sometimes theyโve applied to credit unions. Sometimes they havenโt โ at least not yet.
But everything weโve talked about today applies to you. You can participate in most if not all of the leading mobile wallets. You donโt have to choose one, or even a few. You have the security tools at your disposal to enable your credit union to remain current with these wallets โ and the security you need is relatively accessible.
One of the things that might be making members insecure is the amount of change in this space. The technology, the branding, the security features and concerns โ theyโre all changing, all the time.
In addition, security itself is more confusing than ever. Sometimes we wonder if people really know anything about digital security โ and whether they feel like they have any impact at all on their own safety and privacy.
And so part of what Iโd like to discuss is whether credit unions can play a role in helping members understand security more clearly. And to give them clarity about their choices and actions. And to give them tools that help them feel empowered.
We think thereโs one more piece to the puzzle, though, and itโs one of the most important pieces of all.
The mobile side of this equation is already exciting. It is, really, irresistible โ mobile payments, mobile banking, mobile commerce. Itโs all coming and itโs going to be fabulous.
Donโt get me wrong: I know this isnโt the last time weโre putting together one of those slides with the new crop of mobile wallets in it. Thereโs still upheaval to be had.
But itโs also exciting, and itโs where our culture is heading. And if credit unions can find a way to be the bridge between the new technology everyone wants and the security they need, then opportunity is ours.
So, now that weโre asking these big questions, letโs put our colleagues on the hot seat...
Joining me now is a stellar lineup of experts.
[introduce everyone]
SOME QUESTIONS:
For Michelle: Are mobile payments, in fact, secure?
For Rachna: Do you think consumers are feeling helpless as well as insecure? Is self-service an important tool to help them feel confident?
For Brian: Do people feel differently about bill pay than they do about wallets? Is the fact that bill pay comes from their financial institution significant?
For all: What should credit unions be doing to help consumers feel more comfortable with mobile security?
What role should credit unions be playing in general with mobile wallets? Is there a strategy in here somewhere?
What do you think will be different next year at THINK 16?