CaixaBank launches a money transfer service for iPhones using Siri voice commands

• CaixaBank becomes the first bank in Spain to offer a voice-controlled payment method.
• The user’s smartphone prepares the operation automatically, completing the recipient information, the amount and payment reference, while users simply have to touch the device to confirm the operation.

CaixaBank has created a new service that supports money transfers between individuals by issuing a voice command to Siri. The service is only available for iPhones. The feature is now available to all CaixaBank clients via the latest versions of the CaixaBank Pay and imaginBank applications.

CaixaBank customers can now send money to family or friends by simply talking to Siri. The iPhone voice-controlled assistant follows the user’s instructions to fill out the recipient’s information, amount and payment reference, ready for the payment to be confirmed.

This represents one of the first applications of biometrics for electronic payments anywhere in European banking. CaixaBank thus becomes the first Spanish bank to offer voice-activated payment services.

A simple process with full security guarantees

Users start the payment process by issuing the “Send money” command to the iPhone voice-activated assistant. The system will automatically open the CaixaBank application. The user then simply has to state how much money they want to send and to whom, and Siri will prepare the transaction, ready for confirmation.

Next the user needs only to touch the telephone to complete the process, and will have to enter the usual security codes required for electronic transactions. The process thus combines the usability and convenience of voice commands with all the security guarantees provided by CaixaBank systems.

CaixaBank: the latest in payment methods

This new CaixaBank service for iPhone devices, which is available now, extends the innovative peer-to-peer payment services already available via the app. It also drives the integration of payment methods suitable for new environments such as vehicles.

CaixaBank recently became the first financial operator to launch a mobile virtual keyboard, allowing money transfers to be made via messaging applications such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Telegram. This service is exclusively available to customers of imaginBank, the CaixaBank mobile-only bank.

Leadership in innovation

CaixaBank is considered a major driver of innovation in financial services worldwide, serving 5.4 million online customers and 3.7 million active mobile banking customers.

The bank leads the electronic banking market, with more than 15.6 million cards in circulation and a market share in terms of turnover of 23.3%. It was one of the first banks anywhere in the world to commercially launch contactless payment systems and mobile payment platforms, winning it numerous international accolades.

In 2017 the bank won the Celent Model Bank of the Year award, which seeks to honour the world’s most innovative bank each year. Other recent international accolades won by CaixaBank for its digital banking strategy include the Efma and Accenture awards, as well as the award for World’s Best Technology Project from The Banker for the launch of the mobile-only bank, which sees customers run all operations exclusively via mobile and social network apps.