Next Commercial Bank Co (將來商業銀行) yesterday said that nearly 60,000 people had opened accounts since it commenced operations at the end of last month, with the average deposit more than NT$70,000 (US$2,374).
The nation’s third Web-only bank had allowed people to choose their own bank account numbers before it launched on March. 29, gaining about 40,000 accounts as of the end of last month, bank data showed.
The momentum continued this month, with people welcoming the new services, it said.
Photo: Lee Ching-hui, Taipei Times
Fifty-three percent of account holders chose their own bank account numbers, while 42 percent used their phone number as their account number, it said.
“It seems that many people prefer to memorize only one set of numbers, so there might be an increase in people using phone numbers as a digital identity number,” Next Bank said.
People in two age groups — 25 to 34 and 35 to 44 — each made up one-third of its account holders, the bank said, adding that about 1,000 people who just turned 20 opened accounts “to embrace their adulthood.”
Accounts are available for people aged 7 to 18, but young people face more restrictions from the Financial Supervisory Commission, including a requirement to submit a parent’s national ID card, Next Bank added.
Some people older than 70 opened accounts, it said.
Its services are widespread and highly competitive, although people in Taipei and nearby urban areas make up 53 percent of its account holders, it said.
The average deposit of NT$70,000 might be because Next Bank’s rewards for new account holders are attractive, it said.
To celebrate a month of operations, Next Bank said it would offer more rewards, including 5 percent of a purchase amount in reward points for account holders who pay with a bank debit card.
For account holders who spend more than NT$1,688 with their debit card, the interest rate on their deposits could be increased to as much as 3 percent for 30 days, it said.
Separately, Taiwan Ratings Corp (中華信評) labeled Next Bank “stable,” with a short-term credit rating of “twA-1” and a long-term rating of “twA+.”
PATENTS: MediaTek Inc said it would not comment on ongoing legal cases, but does not expect the legal action by Huawei to affect its business operations Smartphone integrated chips designer MediaTek Inc (聯發科) on Friday said that a lawsuit filed by Chinese smartphone brand Huawei Technologies Co (華為) over alleged patent infringements would have little impact on its operations. In an announcement posted on the Taiwan Stock Exchange, MediaTek said that it would not comment on an ongoing legal case. However, the company said that Huawei’s legal action would have little impact on its operations. MediaTek’s statement came after China-based PRIP Research said on Thursday that Huawei filed a lawsuit with a Chinese district court claiming that MediaTek infringed on its patents. The infringement mentioned in the lawsuit likely involved
Taipei is today suspending work, classes and its US$2.4 trillion stock market as Typhoon Gaemi approaches Taiwan with strong winds and heavy rain. The nation is not conducting securities, currency or fixed income trading, statements from its stock and currency exchanges said. Authorities had yesterday issued a warning that the storm could affect people on land and canceled some ship crossings and domestic flights. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) expects its local chipmaking fabs to maintain normal production, the company said in an e-mailed statement. The main chipmaker for Apple Inc and Nvidia Corp said it has activated routine typhoon alert
GROWTH: TSMC increased its projected revenue growth for this year to more than 25 percent, citing stronger-than-expected demand for AI devices and smartphones The Taiwan Institute of Economic Research (TIER, 台灣經濟研究院) yesterday raised its forecast for Taiwan’s GDP growth this year from 3.29 percent to 3.85 percent, as exports and private investment recovered faster than it predicted three months ago. The Taipei-based think tank also expects that Taiwan would see a 8.19 percent increase in exports this year, better than the 7.55 percent it projected in April, as US technology giants spent more money on artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure and development. “There will be more AI servers going forward, but it remains to be seen if the momentum would extend to personal computers, smartphones and
Catastrophic computer outages caused by a software update from one company have once again exposed the dangers of global technological dependence on a handful of players, experts said on Friday. A flawed update sent out by the little-known security firm CrowdStrike Holdings Inc brought airlines, TV stations and myriad other aspects of daily life to a standstill. The outages affected companies or individuals that use CrowdStrike on the Microsoft Inc’s Windows platform. When they applied the update, the incompatible software crashed computers into a frozen state known as the “blue screen of death.” “Today CrowdStrike has become a household name, but not in