A mobile banking conceptual model

In one academic model mobile banking is defined as:

"Mobile Banking refers to provision and availment of banking- and financial services with the help of mobile telecommunication devices.The scope of offered services may include facilities to conduct bank and stock market transactions, to administer accounts and to access customised information."

According to this model Mobile Banking can be said to consist of three inter-related concepts:

• Mobile Accounting .
• Mobile Brokerage .
• Mobile Financial Information Services .

Most services in the categories designated Accounting and Brokerage are transaction-based. The non-transaction-based services of an informational nature are however essential for conducting transactions - for instance, balance enquiries might be needed before committing a money remittance. The accounting and brokerage services are therefore offered invariably in combination with information services. Information services, on the other hand, may be offered as an independent module.

Mobile banking

Mobile banking (also known as M-Banking, mbanking, SMS Banking etc.) is a term used for performing balance checks, account transactions, payments etc. via a mobile device such as a mobile phone. Mobile banking today (2007) is most often performed via SMS or the Mobile Internet but can also use special programs called clients downloaded to the mobile device.

Bankers' bank

A bankers' bank is a financial institution that provides financial services to community banks in the United States of America. Bankers' banks are owned by investor banks and may provide services only to community banks.

By leveraging positive economies of scale, bankers' banks are able to provide many services to community banks that typically would be economically available only to large national or multinational banks. The advantage here is that community banks which use these services can in turn offer them to their customers, allowing these smaller independent banks to effectively compete with larger banks.

The first bankers' bank was formed in Minnesota in 1975. Currently there are 22 bankers' banks across the US serving more than 6,000 banks in 48 states. The largest bankers' bank is at present TIB-The Independent BankersBank, located in Irving, TX, and serving over 1,300 banks across 46 states - plus Guam and Bermuda.