\u201cAt first this will be small groups which will then be enlarged over time,\u201d said Jordaan.<\/p>\n
He said the Bank Zero team will use feedback from these customers to improve its processes and functionality.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis type of beta launch is quite common in the tech world and the opposite of large, often hyped launches in the corporate world,\u201d said Jordaan.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not planning a big launch event or media spend and our efforts will rather be to listen to and act on early customer feedback.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jordaan said that Bank Zero will cater both to individuals and businesses, and that in the business segment Bank Zero has two goals.<\/p>\n
Firstly, he said the banking fees paid by businesses is extremely high and can be reduced significantly.<\/p>\n
Secondly, Jordaan explained that business owners require a range of functionality that can be solved on a smartphone \u2013 meaning these owners will not need to go to branches or interact with bank representatives.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe hope to make further announcements in the next few weeks on milestones that have been achieved since our last press release,\u201d said Jordaan.<\/p>\n
Finishing touches<\/strong><\/p>\n Jordaan added that Bank Zero is in the process of putting the finishing touches on its platform\u2019s functionality, and is conducting end-to-end testing.<\/p>\n \u201cThe mobile-only thinking behind Bank Zero would of course be ideal in the current lockdown state, so the team is working very hard on their development sprints so that we can start the controlled public beta,\u201d said Jordaan.<\/p>\n As it appears that cash can be a transmitter of Covid-19, contactless payments made on a smartphone are an \u201cobvious answer\u201d in the payment space.<\/p>\n Working from home<\/strong><\/p>\n Jordaan said that because the Bank Zero team all used to work in a single, open-plan office, it could not afford a single Covid-19 infection at the company.<\/p>\n For this reason, Bank Zero staff began working from home before the lockdown was announced.<\/p>\n \u201cAs a large part of the team are software developers, this did not affect the nature of their work too much,\u201d said Jordaan.<\/p>\n He said that as everyone in the team has a broadband connection, they switched to Zoom for interactions.<\/p>\n \u201cNevertheless, the absence of all face-to-face meetings is not ideal and in some cases resulted in slightly lower efficiency than we would have liked,\u201d said Jordaan.<\/p>\n This article was first published by MyBroadband<\/a><\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Michael-Jordaan-e1496750456108.png\")
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