Amazon’s Alexa Enables Capital One Voice-Controlled Banking
Amazon’s Alexa, the digital voice assistant found in the retailer’s Echo and Fire TV devices, now enables consumers to conduct voice-activated banking with Capital One. Amazon customers could, for instance, check their account balances or pay their credit card bills by asking Alexa to do so via those devices.
Here’s what consumers have to do before taking part in the program: Using the Alexa mobile application, Capital One customers add the banking capability to their Amazon devices, then connect to their accounts via usernames and passwords. Echo functions as a voice-activated command center through which consumers can access the Web, order pizza and other goods, stream music and perform other tasks.
Earlier this month, Amazon launched two smaller, more portable versions of Echo. Amazon says Echo stands as its third-best selling electronic device. Capital One likely won’t be the last bank to integrate with the Alexa. Discover Network’s vice president, global business development Joby Orlowksy recently described making purchases with Alexa as “not even a shopping experience anymore, it’s a life experience—it’s augmented reality. It’s critical for payments companies to be part of this technology and not to be left out of the experience,” he said.
This marks the third recent payments-related announcement from Amazon, which earlier this month t announced plans to launch a digital wallet in India. In February, the leading e-retailer in North America as measured by revenue said it was buying India-based online services provider EMVANTAGE Payments.
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