Mobile underbanked We were frankly shocked to learn that up to 1/3 of America's population is classified as "underbanked", yet overwhelmingly uses smartphones. When we think of underbanked, we think of certain economically challenged regions of Asia or Africa, but here in America? That's a jarring statistic, and makes it all the more necessary to create means for individuals who fall within this category to use their mobile devices for their banking needs. One way to accomplish this is to offer incentives to this segment, and the new partnership with Sionic Mobile and Customer Engagement Technologies does exactly that.

(Cindy Taylor/FintekNews)

"On March 15th, Sionic Mobile and Customer Engagement Technologies (CET) announced a partnership to provide mobile loyalty and instant universal rewards to the underbanked.

PaySwag, a mobile app by CET that works on improving the payment experience for the underbanked, is integrating Sionic Mobile’s ION Commerce Engine™ (ICE) to enable the loading of cash into a mobile wallet, allowing app users to pay for purchases with their phones and instantly earn rewards via the Mobile Rewards MarketplaceTM which includes more than 100,000 retail locations. Additionally, the PaySwag-ICE integration will utilize credit and debit card processing through J.P. Morgan Chase.

“We are pleased to partner with Sionic Mobile to provide the underbanked with a universal, user-friendly rewards program,” said Max Haynes, CEO of Customer Engagement Technologies. “The underbanked are also under-rewarded and until now there really haven’t been any mobile loyalty or incentive programs. The Mobile Rewards Marketplace is unique in that there are no cumbersome requirements and restrictions on when and how the rewards can be used, no expiration dates and most importantly, users can earn and spend rewards at any of the retail locations in the Marketplace, nationwide. Like Sionic Mobile, we designed PaySwag with the user experience first and foremost and integrating with the Marketplace boosts the value we are able to offer app users.”

Customer Engagement Technologies’ mobile application simplifies the collections process for underbanked consumers, businesses and governments by allowing cash or card payments and offering reward, education and feedback engines. PaySwag is integrated with more than 17,000 retail locations accepting cash payments for debts such as auto payments, medical bills and government fines. By combining mobile access and alternative payment technology, the CET platform gives people the tools they need to make on-time payments and rewards them for doing so. Using mobile gamification to transform how the underbanked interact with lenders, municipalities and healthcare, PaySwag makes payments more accessible, rewarding, consistent and likely.

Our Mobile Rewards Marketplace is simple in design making it easy to navigate, but built on proven technology, delivering powerful results,” said Ron Herman, CEO of Sionic Mobile. “By providing instant rewards to app users, the Marketplace helps drive adoption and usage of apps like PaySwag, better engages current customers and helps attract new users. We are pleased to work with the Customer Engagement Technologies team to fill a void in the market by offering a feature-rich rewards program to a large and typically underserved market.”

The Mobile Rewards Marketplace is comprised of large chain retailers and small businesses alike. It uses a secure cloud-based service on mobile devices or a merchant’s existing POS system, eliminating the need for new equipment. The Marketplace works alongside existing, standalone rewards programs. Marketplace merchants accept mobile payments that are safe, secure and processed by J.P. Morgan Chase."

To find out more, visit

www.mobilerewardsmarketplace.com

&

www.payswag.com

.