Mox, BOCHK, ZA Bank and Citibank apps land among Asia-Pacific’s 10 best, study says

Mox Bank, Bank of China (Hong Kong) (BOCHK), ZA Bank, and Citibank Hong Kong's banking applications have been ranked among the top ten in the Asia-Pacific region, according to a study by international consulting firm Sia Partners. The study evaluated 145 banking apps across 20 markets in Europe, Asia, and Australia, assessing them on criteria such as functionality, user experience, and user feedback, assigning a score from 0 to 100 for each.

Mox Bank, backed by Standard Chartered, Trip.com, HKT, and PCCW, topped the Hong Kong and global rankings with a score of 67. BOCHK and ZA Bank followed in second and third places in Hong Kong and seventh and eighth in the Asia-Pacific region, with scores of 65 and 64 respectively. Citibank Hong Kong secured the fourth position in both the Hong Kong and Asia-Pacific rankings, with a score of 63.

All four banks have shown improvement in their app performance compared to the previous year. Citibank Hong Kong's app climbed 51 positions, reaching 45th place globally, while ZA Bank's app moved up eight places to 44th, BOCHK's app edged up three places to 42nd, and Mox Bank's app moved up 11 positions to 27th. Commonwealth Bank of Australia led the Asia-Pacific rankings with a score of 78, followed by Ping An Pocket Bank, China Merchants Bank, and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China.

Hong Kong's mobile banking apps showed significant improvement, particularly in offering predictive personal financial management tools and AI-powered chatbots for executing app functions. The report also noted that Hong Kong banks lagged behind mainland banks and Western lenders in partnering with non-bank entities to provide transaction services, as European banks dominated the global top 10 rankings, with KBC Group's app leading the pack with a score of 83.