“IB Smart Remote Mobile App” is an innovative product that allows the customers to control their daily usage limits and status of their debit cards on their own, through the smart phones. This Mobile App can also be used for blocking/unblocking credit cards and for real-time enquiry on account balance.

Challenges

Prior to implementation of IB Smart Remote App, if a customer would lose his debit card, he had to contact the bank branch or Call Center team to block the card to restrict further usage.

Since it used to take long time for the customers to detect the card loss and then reach out to the bank for blocking the card after manual verification of the customer by the branch staff or the Call Centre agent, the time loss could lead to fraud and misuse of the card.

Solution

The Mobile App, its application server and the management portal were developed and the application server was interfaced with bank’s Internet-facing server, Core Banking Software, ATM EFT Switch and SMS gateway for implementing the solution. These interfaces are used for the purposes of connecting the Mobile App with server through mobile Internet network, validation of mobile number and retrieving account details and balance information from Core Banking Software.

This also validates the debit card PIN and updates the card status and usage limits in EFT switch and for sending the one time password (OTP) to the customers, respectively.

Enrolment of Customers for IB Smart Remote App works in two phases:

• Account Registration: Application gets linked to the account after authenticating the customer through an OTP sent to the mobile number registered with the bank.
• Debit Card Registration: Debit card(s) issued to the account will be registered in the App after authenticating the cardholder through PIN verification.
• After Account and Card registration customer gets to access the following facilities:
  • Debit Card Status Change– Open/Restricted.
  • Debit Card Limit Change – Per day ATM usage limit/ POS usage limit. Limit can be reduced up to R100 per day for ATM withdrawal and R1 per day for blocking.
  • Point of Sales (POS) and Online transactions Block/ Unblock of Credit Card.
• Current available and ledger balance of the account can be known. This app is password protected, during account registration customer has to create the password and registration process is secured with OTP validation. Every time customer has to login with App password and respective device ID will be verified to permit access.

Outcomes

With this App, now the customers are being provided with an efficient way of blocking the card when they don’t use it. Flexibility of restricting the card only for POS/Online transactions is also available in the App. Value additions like Balance Inquiry, Multiple Account Registration (linked to the same CIF) are also provided in the App.

The project provides a cost effective solution for both bank as well as customers. With proliferation of smart phones, usage of Mobile Apps has increased. Now, the bank’s customer need not call customer care or visit branch for seeking protection for his card.