Standard Chartered launches Mobile Banking in Kenya

By John Oyuke

Standard Chartered Bank customers will now check their bank balances, transfer funds between personal accounts and nominated accounts and pay utility bills on their cellular phones.

The bank announced said it had launched into the local market a new mobile-phone banking (mBanking) facility based on the new Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) platform.

Chief Executive Richard Etemesi, said the new facility would provide the customers with access to banking at all times - anywhere in the world, at any time - through mobile phones.

"The new development is part of the bank’s efforts to provide alternative delivery channels for their customers," he said during the launch of the product in Nairobi.

The launch of the mBanking solution, he added, consolidates the bank’s position as market leader in the provision of IT-based financial services.

"This new development compliments our bank’s philosophy of striving to meet customer needs and lifestyles by offering not only products and services but also delivery channels that are in line with current and anticipated future needs," said Etemesi.

Regional Head of Consumer Banking, Africa Raheel Ahmed, described mobile banking service as a very exciting initiative.