Siri gives N26 payments a voice
N26 co-founder and CEO Valentin Stalf
Digital bank N26 (formerly Number26) is now offering voice-powered payments via Siri – the “first” bank in Germany to do so.
Users can transfer money by talking to Siri; and can also request money from their N26 contacts using Apple’s instant messaging service iMessage.
Valentin Stalf, founder and CEO of N26, says: “Our customers can transfer money by simply saying a single sentence. It doesn’t get easier than that!”
As Banking Technology reported earlier this month, Apple unveiled SiriKit for developers, and messaging apps can now tap into the “power” of Siri. N26 says it “seized this opportunity”.
N26 says transfers up to €25 per transaction and €100 per day are possible. To use these features N26 users need to download the latest iOS Apple update.
To “request money” via iMessage users directly choose the desired amount on their N26 keyboard. Users have to add the N26 app to iMessage or activate it in Siri’s settings.
N26 says it has now got more than 200,000 clients in eight countries: Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Slovakia and Spain. It currently employs 140 people. N26 has also raised more than $53 million from investors.
All mine
In July, N26 received its banking licence, 1.5 years after launching.
N26, with its “mobile-first focus”, says the banking licence means it no longer has to develop all products in-house, but lets it partner with fintech firms and financial providers.
The bank continues to work with TransferWise, a UK-based international money transfer platform, to provide N26 customers with direct “in-app” access to TransferWise’s service.
It has also recently launched Pulse26, a new app that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to provide updates based on the customer’s personal banking history.
