RBC first bank in Canada to enable bill payments using Siri

New capabilities also include the launch of seamless P2P transfers within iMessage, further strengthening RBC's award-winning mobile banking app

TORONTO, Aug. 1, 2017 /CNW/ - Who doesn't wish they had an assistant to pay their bills? Thanks to an update to the RBC Mobile app, Royal Bank of Canada ("RBC") personal banking clients are now the first in Canada who can ask Siri to pay their bills on iPhone and iPad.

RBC also launched seamless Interac e-Transfer® payments within iMessage, which means clients can send a transfer without leaving their iMessage window. Building on its market leading, free person-to-person (P2P) money transfer services for chequing account clients launched last year, and money transfers with Siri earlier this year, RBC continues to develop simple and innovative ways for clients to make payments and bank with their mobile devices.

"By offering bill payments through Siri and P2P transfers through iMessage, we're providing more convenient solutions to support our client's payment needs," said Sean Amato-Gauci, executive vice-president, Cards, Payments and Banking, RBC. "Our clients are avid users of Interac e-Transfer payments, and embraced our launch of money transfers using Siri earlier this year. By giving clients the ability to seamlessly and conveniently bank using voice commands, we're delivering simple and innovative solutions."

Using Siri to pay your bills with the RBC Mobile app

Paying your bills using Siri is simple. Once you give the voice command, Siri will confirm the name from your payee list and the RBC Mobile app automatically debits your account and sends the payment. The payment is secure and protected by TouchID.

Sending an Interac e-Transfer payment is just as simple. Clients simply type the amount of money they'd like to send to their contact in the iMessage window, and authenticate the transfer using TouchID.

These payment solutions are the latest enhancements from the RBC innovation labs, which test new ideas by partnering with academia, fintechs and RBC clients to make banking easier. The RBC labs are actively working on a range of client solutions that will be coming to market this year.

"We're one of the leading voices on artificial intelligence in Canada, and our integration of Siri into bill payments and P2P transfers are an example of how our clients are already benefitting from these advancements in AI," said Amato-Gauci. "We're committed to providing clients with exceptional experiences when, how and where it's most convenient for them, including exploring ways to integrate into social networks and digital platforms that are essential to their everyday lives."

The RBC Mobile app was recently awarded the Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Canadian Mobile Banking Apps by the J.D. Power inaugural 2017 Canadian Banking Mobile App Satisfaction Study. RBC has seen an increase of more than 20 per cent in active mobile users over the past year, a clear indication that more Canadians are using the RBC Mobile app to bank whenever and wherever they want.

The RBC Mobile app is available for free download from the App Store on iPhone and iPad or at www.AppStore.com. For more information about the RBC Mobile app, please visit www.rbcroyalbank.com/mobile/.

About RBC
Royal Bank of Canada is Canada's largest bank, and one of the largest banks in the world, based on market capitalization. We are one of North America's leading diversified financial services companies, and provide personal and commercial banking, wealth management, insurance, investor services and capital markets products and services on a global basis. We have approximately 80,000 full- and part-time employees who serve more than 16 million personal, business, public sector and institutional clients through offices in Canada, the U.S. and 35 other countries. For more information, please visit rbc.com.

RBC helps communities prosper, supporting a broad range of community initiatives through donations, community investments and employee volunteer activities. For more information please see: http://www.rbc.com/community-sustainability/.

SOURCE RBC Royal Bank
 

For further information: Heather Colquhoun, RBC Communications, 437-994-5044, [email protected]; Sarah Hall Turnbull, Blue Sky Communications, 416-458-3878, [email protected]