The world’s Internet denizens are increasingly embracing mobile computing. It’s not hype. A growing body of evidence supports the notion that the mobile web will free us from the constraints of the desktop.
As more of our everyday online experiences – email, banking, shopping, networking – happen on mobile devices, it’s becoming second nature to take care of our financial business while we’re on the go. With that in mind, here are five mobile finance trends that will continue to grow this year:
*Cashless Payments
Though paper cash and coinage will not disappear anytime soon, the idea of living in a cashless society is gaining momentum. Smartphones are handier than searching for a bank machine. It’ll be a slow creep but people are creatures of habit and they like convenience and security. Consider the 2012 Summer Olympics in the U.K. It was a beta test and a springboard for VISA’s contactless payment technology. The push to encourage attendees to make routine payments with their mobile phones went over swimmingly.
*Social Media for Investors
Mobile technologies and social media are birds of a feather, which is driving flocks of developers to create apps for investors. StockTwits, for example, is a Twitter-inspired financial communications platform where investors can follow traders and markets that interest them while getting a personalized stream of news, charts, and ideas. The platform continues to attract users and content partners such as CNN Money, OANDA, and Yahoo! Finance.
*Currency Trading
Foreign exchange (forex) trading, as a complementary asset class to equities and fixed-income instruments, has been on a desktop growth spurt since the early 2000s thanks to the emergence of electronic market makers like OANDA. Now such innovative firms are bringing the desktop trading experience to smartphones and tablets, with mobile forex trading apps that give users the ability to track real-time exchange rate data, set price alerts and notifications, monitor news, and analyze technical charts while on the fly.
*Personal Finance
Smartphones and tablets put money management at your fingertips anytime, anywhere. Mobile apps from Mint, Pageonce, PocketMoney and others provide a dashboard view of all your financial stats in one place. They use charts, graphs, and message alerts to make it easy to track your spending, bill payments and budget issues, as well as monitor your investment goals.
*Travel Budgeting
When travelling for business or pleasure, it is much easier to keep expenditures in check with a mobile device in your pocket or purse. Tools like the popular mobile currency converter apps from OANDA help you quickly calculate foreign exchange rate conversions using the same daily filtered rates relied on by multinational corporations, auditing firms, and global banks.
