Banking on much more technology

By TOM CLARKE

The electronic innovations being seen in banking are only the tip of the iceberg of the changes yet to come, says ANZ's new head of business e-commerce, Greg Dyer.

The ANZ heads the banking field, he claims, with the introduction of new internet and electronic services for business, but so far has delivered only about 10 per cent of its proposed new products.

"We've got a whole lot more to bring to the market yet, which I'm not in a position to talk about. We don't want to give too much away to our competitors in terms of our strategy."

Mr Dyer says technology is moving towards WAP-type technology [wireless application protocol], which will allow customers to access banking and other services through their mobile telephones.

"That's great for consumers, but I don't know how much effect it will have on business-to-business transactions. From a business point of view, I think the internet is the medium for communication and for doing business.

"That's where we're going and I think the market generally is heading down that path.

"We've got a dominant market share of the corporate banking community and we're looking to leverage off that and bring interesting electronic products to the market to enhance our customers' performance."

One example of the innovation Mr Dyer refers to is the ANZ's e-procurement solution, ANZ BizSite (www.bizsite.co.nz), which puts suppliers of products in touch with purchasers, with the bank providing the financial and payment systems.

He says that site makes it easier for both sides to do business, provides better integration and reduces costs.

"The bank has a significant corporate customer base and it's in our interests to see these companies perform successfully. We see ourselves as an enabler of financial solutions to help them improve their margins and their bottom lines, and their overall ability to compete."

Mr Dyer joins ANZ from the on-line travel reservation systems company, Galileo, where he was general manager. He was previously operations manager at the internet networking company, Cray Communications.

He is on the boards of the Telecommunications Users and Electronic Business Associations. He holds a diploma of business from Auckland University and is studying for an MBA.