RBS launches mobile phone banking service

The Royal Bank of Scotland Group today became the latest bank to launch a mobile phone banking service for its customers.

Around 13 million people with a Royal Bank of Scotland or NatWest debit card in the UK can sign up for the service, which enables them to access their account balance and view mini-statements on their mobile phone.

They can also top up pre-pay mobile phones through the service and receive text messages giving them balance alerts.

The group plans to add additional services in the near future, including the ability to make payments and move money between accounts.

It said the service was secure as data was not held on a customer’s mobile phone, and only a handset that is linked to an account could be used to access information.

Paul Geddes, chief executive of consumer banking at RBS Group, said: “Mobile phone banking will give people another easy way to access account information and even greater flexibility in managing their money at any time.”

The group expects the service to be popular with young people, particularly those aged between 18 and 25, for whom it said mobile phones were a central part of their lives.