Online Banking Surges in Hong Kong, China
One side effect of the SARS crisis in Hong Kong has been
a surge in the use of online banking services.
Hongkong Shanghai Banking Corporation, Bank of East Asia
and Bank of China (HK) have all reported sharp rises in
their customers' use of online banking, with rises of
between 22-60 per cent since the outbreak of the crisis
in late March. It is likely that customers who have adopted
online banking will continue to use these services even
after the SARS crisis abates.
Traditionally, Chinese have placed a premium on face-to-face
meetings for important business-related matters, but the
current SARS crisis has forced people to change their
attitudes.
In China, online banking is not as widely available as
in Hong Kong. However, the SARS crisis has forced people
to use other means of communication, such as SMS (short
message services) on their mobile phones, and service
providers have reportedly shown a jump in message volume.
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