Payment platform Zelle to shift users away from standalone mobile app
By Hannah Lang
Oct 31 (Reuters) -Peer-to-peer payments platform Zelle is shifting users away from its stand-alone mobile app in favor of using the platform via banking apps, Zelle's parent company said on Thursday.
Zelle, a payments network owned by seven banks including JPMorgan Chase JPM.N and Bank of America BAC.N, initially promoted its mobile app when it launched in 2017 to users whose financial institutions had not yet joined the network.
But now, with more than 2,200 banks and credit unions on the Zelle network, only 2% of Zelle transactions take place through the mobile app, according to Early Warning Services (EWS), the banks' company that owns Zelle.
As a result, Zelle will focus on improving its functionality on banking apps, where the majority of users choose to send and receive payments, said Denise Leonhard, general manager of Zelle.
"Given that that is really the strategy and the majority of the use that we're seeing, we are really pivoting in order to strengthen that going forward," she said.
The move highlights how widely Zelle has been adopted by U.S. banks, despite competition from big tech competitors like ApplePay and GooglePay.
The separate Zelle app will continue to be available, but will be dedicated to educating consumers about scams and fraud and will offer a list of participating firms on the Zelle network.
Users of the standalone Zelle app will need to re-enroll at their bank or credit union to be able to send and receive payments on the network starting in March 2025.
Reports of fraud and scams on Zelle have attracted attention from U.S. lawmakers, including Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren, and from regulators concerned over consumer protection. Last year, banks on the Zelle network began refunding victims of imposter scams to address consumer protection concerns.
Reporting by Hannah Lang in New York; Editing by David Holmes
Related Assets
Latest News
Disclaimer: The XM Group entities provide execution-only service and access to our Online Trading Facility, permitting a person to view and/or use the content available on or via the website, is not intended to change or expand on this, nor does it change or expand on this. Such access and use are always subject to: (i) Terms and Conditions; (ii) Risk Warnings; and (iii) Full Disclaimer. Such content is therefore provided as no more than general information. Particularly, please be aware that the contents of our Online Trading Facility are neither a solicitation, nor an offer to enter any transactions on the financial markets. Trading on any financial market involves a significant level of risk to your capital.
All material published on our Online Trading Facility is intended for educational/informational purposes only, and does not contain – nor should it be considered as containing – financial, investment tax or trading advice and recommendations; or a record of our trading prices; or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instruments; or unsolicited financial promotions to you.
Any third-party content, as well as content prepared by XM, such as: opinions, news, research, analyses, prices and other information or links to third-party sites contained on this website are provided on an “as-is” basis, as general market commentary, and do not constitute investment advice. To the extent that any content is construed as investment research, you must note and accept that the content was not intended to and has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such, it would be considered as marketing communication under the relevant laws and regulations. Please ensure that you have read and understood our Notification on Non-Independent Investment. Research and Risk Warning concerning the foregoing information, which can be accessed here.
