His Royal Highness Prince 'Abdul Malik consented to attend the official launch of Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam (BIBD) Mobile yesterday, at the Indera Kayangan Ballroom of The Empire Hotel and Country Club.

The launch of BIBD Mobile, which adds to the bank's already-expansive self-service capabilities and product range, marks a new milestone by making the banking services available to all mobile devices, which literally brings banking convenience to the palm of one's hand.

Yesterday's launch started with a doa, which was followed by opening remarks from the Minister of Industry and Primary Resources, Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Utama Dato Seri Setia Awg Hj Yahya bin Begawan Mudim Dato Paduka Hj Bakar, in his capacity as Chairman of the Board of Directors of BIBD and its subsidiaries.

The minister said that the presence of HRH Prince 'Abdul Malik reflected the interest HRH has on the development of banking in the nation, particularly those involving the use of new and current technologies.

It is hoped that HRH Prince 'Abdul Malik's presence will be a catalyst for the officers and staff of BIBD to work even harder to make BIBD the 'Bank of Choice' in Brunei Darussalam, he added.

BIBD, through the transformation project for ICT that started in 2010, has been focussing on upgrading its infrastructure to offer a variety of products and services that are more customer-centred.

He further highlighted that some of the products and services that have brought positive impact are the BIBD Debit Card, BIBD Online, BIBD SMS Alerts, BIBD Biometric ATM, BIBD Self-Service kiosk and BIBD Rumah Plus.

These products and services, he added, have changed the perception of customers and the general public on BIBD with its ability to be fast-growing, advanced and sensitive to the needs of its customers.

"That said, the launching of the BIBD Mobile is another transformation which can allow customers to obtain financial information, as well as leverage on features such as bill payment services and make credit card payments.

"Furthermore, it will also allow customers to purchase top-up for prepaid electricity and telephone service without the need to use a token, which is only needed for BIBD Online."

The service is one of the initiatives that will ease the way customers do their banking and is a sign reflecting BIBD's progress and its ongoing efforts to ensure that it continues to provide quality banking experience.

"As BIBD's infrastructure continues to strengthen, this transformation will be a benchmark, particularly in the area of interaction between bank and its customers as well as in the use of tools of convenience for customers to make transactions wherever and whenever they want, at their own free time," said Pehin Dato Hj Yahya.

The BIBD Mobile banking platform complements BIBD Online and provides customers an easier way of accessing their accounts securely through their mobile devices.

Prominent features of BIBD Mobile include enquiries on all types of account balances, account and credit card transaction history, simplified bill payments to all major billers in Brunei, ease of paying credit card bills and money transfers to any bank in Brunei or abroad with a few simple taps.

The platform is fast, secure and simplifies the delivery of banking services to BIBD customers and to provide further convenience, and existing BIBD online customer can use their existing ID to access BIBD Mobile.

For customers who do not have BIBD Online, they can register for BIBD Mobile without even having to visit the branch.

BIBD Mobile, the first mobile banking platform here, will soon be available as downloadable application that will provide additional features and a richer experience to the customers.

Over the past few months, BIBD has launched various enhancements and added security features to modernise and revolutionise the way Bruneians do their banking.

Through these enhancements, it is BIBD's aspiration and goal to give its customer the best product and service experience. - Borneo Bulletin (11 September 2012)