Here are the top 5 banks offering the mobile banking features consumers say they want most

Top five pacesetters

When it comes to offering cutting-edge mobile banking features that consumers most value, Wells Fargo tops the list, according to BI Intelligence’s Mobile Banking Competitive Edge study. Banks are increasingly putting mobile first to keep up with consumers' growing reliance on digital channels, as a strong suite of mobile offerings can now give them a major edge in attracting customers.

To help banks understand how to differentiate and win customers on mobile, we identified 33 key mobile banking features and ranked them based on how important consumers say those features are in choosing a new bank. Using this ranking, we evaluated the mobile offerings of the top 15 US banks and credit unions to select our 2017 Mobile Banking Pacesetters.

Wells Fargo and USAA snagged the top spots.

Wells Fargo leads the pack. Despite the bank's recent high-profile scandals, its digital team has managed to stay ahead in mobile. Wells Fargo scored top marks in the transfers, wallets, and security categories of our scorecard, and ranked first overall. Recently, the bank has added a number of new capabilities, including the ability to temporarily disable new cards, a Facebook chatbot in partnership with Kasisto, and the ability to use a smartphone in place of a card at an ATM. Rank: 1st. Overall score: 82 out of 100 points.
USAA follows with a close second. A military-serving bank without a branch network, USAA has built a sterling reputation for giving its customers, which it calls “members,” the best that digital channels have to offer. USAA led in the account access and artificial intelligence (AI) categories of our scorecard, and took the second spot in our broader ranking. The bank's success is partly due to its provision of several features that many competitors have yet to offer, such as integration with Amazon's Alexa voice assistant, as well as a swath of biometric features including face and voice recognition. Rank: 2nd. Overall score: 79 out of 100 points.

The rest of the top five are in close competition.

Bank of America’s commitment to digital is undeniable. Like USAA, Bank of America gained points for offering its 23 million mobile users rare features, such as cardless ATM access, the ability to re-order or disable a payment card in-app, and the ability to alert the bank to travel plans. Bank of America tied with Wells Fargo for first place in the security section, and tied for third overall. Rank: 3rd (tie). Overall score: 73 out of 100 points.
Citibank is reinventing itself as a digital-first bank. Citi is in the midst of a fundamental digital transformation — it launched 86 digital features in 2016, and is on track to deploy 800 more in 2017. The volume of features offered by the bank, including its range of biometric login options and the ability to order a replacement card via mobile banking, helped set it apart in this benchmark. Citi received top marks in the wallets section of the scorecard, thanks to its innovative mobile wallet Citi Pay, and tied for third overall. Rank: 3rd (tie). Overall score: 73 out of 100 points.
Capital One is pioneering next-generation digital banking experiences. Known for its commitment to a superior user experience, Capital One rounded out the top five in this scorecard with cutting-edge features that position it for the future of digital banking. Specifically, Capital One offers a conversational SMS chatbot and an integration with Amazon’s Echo device for voice-based banking. The bank tied with Wells Fargo and Citi for first in the wallets category of the scorecard, scored highest for social, and came in fifth overall. Rank: 5th. Overall score: 72 out of 100 points.

BI Intelligence's Mobile Banking Competitive Edge study ranks banks according to strength of their mobile offerings and offers analysis on what banks need to do to win and retain customers. The study is based on an August benchmark of what features the 15 top US banks offer, and a dedicated September 2017 study of 1,100 consumers on the importance of 32 cutting edge features in choosing a bank.

The full report will be available to BI Intelligence enterprise clients in November. To learn more about this report, email Senior Account Executive Chris Roth (croth@businessinsider.com). BI Intelligence's Mobile Banking Competitive Edge study includes: Bank of America, BB&T, Capital One, Chase, Citibank, Fifth Third, HSBC, Key Bank, Navy Federal Credit Union, PNC, SunTrust, TD, US Bank, USAA, and Wells Fargo.

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