Westpac NZ takes step forward in its digital strategy

As a step forward in its digital strategy, Westpac NZ has partnered with Samsung NZ to share knowledge and work together on innovations and solutions.

Under the terms of the agreement Samsung will give Westpac early access to its smart devices. This means the bank can work with Samsung in developing financial applications and services that will be ready when the device is available for purchase, as it did with the Galaxy S5 smartphone and finger scanner.

The apps so developed will be made availble to Westpac customers on select Samsung smart devices, including tablets, smartphones and smart TVs.

According to Westpac, the move will benefit its digital strategy, the centre piece of which will be the online banking platform that will be rolled out to customers by the end of the year.

“Once complete, our fully responsive online banking platform will deliver all banking capability online that currently requires the customer to visit a branch or call our contact centre. Being able to collaborate with Samsung and share knowledge and insights will help us deliver industry leading innovation that Samsung can take to the world,” said Westpac NZ CEO Peter Clare.

The bank’s current online banking platform gets more than eight million visits a month, and Westpac NZ expects this to increase when the new platform is rolled out.

Speaking on the agreement, Kenny Yeon, MD of Samsung NZ said, “Westpac New Zealand has an innovative road-map and digital strategy that we believe will enable it to develop market-leading technologies. As leaders in our respective fields, we understand the value of working together to ensure the global resources we put into research and development, will work for our New Zealand customers."