Jan 7, 2010, 7:00am

Monitise Americas, LLC, the leading mobile banking and payments provider, announces today that it has had a banner year and is firmly established as a leader in the mobile financial services market.

Notable achievements in 2009 for Monitise Americas and its partner, U.K.-based Monitise plc, include:

• Over 200 U.S. financial institution partners signed up for Mobile Money services¹
• Registration of one million customers in the United Kingdom and the United States.
• 200% quarter-on-quarter end-user growth rate
• Over 2,000 different types of mobile phone handsets now support Mobile Money services
• Launch of the U.S. Mobile Money iPhone App available for download from the Apple App Store
• PCI certification, a recognized stamp of approval by industry security advocates
• Global Alliance Agreement signed by Monitise plc to supply its Mobile Money Manager platform to Visa Inc., which has 1.7 billion card-holders across the world

“We have exceeded all expectations for 2009 and are extremely proud of our leadership status,” says Soren Bested, managing director of Monitise Americas. “As industry research confirms, mobile will become an even more important acquisition point for financial institutions in the coming year. And, our strong partnerships have positioned Monitise Americas to be able to accommodate the mobile money needs of virtually all card and account holders in the North American market today.”

Monitise Americas has developed a substantial range of Mobile Money services from its own flexible Mobile Money Manager capability.

Monitise Americas’ partners are now able to offer to their customers both “Essentials” services, which provide alerts, balance updates, and on-demand balance inquiries via text message, and “Active” services, which use a streamlined user interface to provide real-time balance inquiries, mini-statements, account transfers, bill payments, same-day payments, and more.

Technical developments have enabled Monitise Americas to provide full network and device coverage for a multitude of platforms including debit, prepaid, and bill pay.

In allowing consumers all three modes to access their financial information (downloadable application, browser service, and SMS services), Monitise Americas provides an unparalleled end-user experience delivered through a truly intelligent provisioning system.

Customer uptake has steadily increased across Monitise Americas’ broad range of services. Consumers are texting for account balances on the move and receiving text alerts to help them manage their funds. Likewise, consumers are regularly transferring money and paying bills by their mobile phones – all delivered through an easy-to-use, safe, and reliable interface.

The successes Monitise Americas has received over the course of 2009 serve as confirmation that the U.S. market sees the value of mobile access for the financial services industry.

Following in the footsteps of their U.K. partners, Monitise plc, which rolled out to the market two years ahead of the U.S. launch, Monitise Americas has now reached the “tipping point” with tens of thousands of enrollments each month. “The UK has proven to be our crystal ball in terms of forecasting consumer adoption of this new access channel,” says Soren Bested. “The view looks very robust for the coming year.”

Monitise Americas’ growth in the coming year is set to include new and improved capabilities, including enhanced alerting features, peer-to-peer payments, couponing, and loyalty/rewards programs to name a few.

About Monitise Americas

Monitise Americas is a joint venture between FIS, one of the world's largest providers of banking and payments technology to financial institutions and businesses worldwide, and Monitise plc (MONI.L), a specialist in mobile banking and payments technology. Monitise Americas provides mobile banking and payment services to North American financial institutions predicated on an "ecosystem" principle, which allows multiple mobile carriers and financial institutions to deliver services over a single platform. Current partners of Monitise Americas include FIS, NYCE, Everlink, Corporate Network eCom, and eCommLink. For more information on Monitise Americas and details of how to benefit from participating in its cross-America ecosystem, please visit www.monitiseamericas.com.

¹ Financial institutions are accessing the Mobile Money Manager solution through their relationships with FIS™, one of the world’s largest providers of banking and payments technology, NYCE, a leading U.S. electronic payments provider and an FIS company, and Corporate Network eCom, a leading provider of online and mobile services.