In 2002, fewer than 4 families had decided to open an online account. In 2012, the number almost quintupled (18.132). Bank of Italy data speak for themselves: home banking, a service that until ten years ago was a luxury for the few, it has become an indispensable habit for most Italian families.
With the online bank you can make transfers, top ups, pay taxes or fines, buy shares, keep your investment portfolio and credit card under control. The advantages, as emerged from an Abi-Gfk Eurisko study, are many: first of all, the reduction in the cost of the fee (the amount requested by online banks is a few euros per month); then, not least, the comfort, practicality and simplicity of use; finally, the possibility of saving time. Alongside the advantages, there are also risks: hacker intrusions, trap emails, viruses that steal passwords. Successful cases of intrusion into banking networks are few, also because banks invest large sums in the security of their customers' accounts.
It has also contributed to the diffusion of home banking the ever-increasing use of smartphones and tablets. These tools allow you to access your account anywhere and anytime. Banks see great development opportunities in this sector and are implementing new services in this direction. Banca Sella, the group that launched the first online account in Italy in 1998, has recently presented a new service: it's called "Up Mobile" and allows you to make the payment with the simple gesture of photographing the object you want to buy .
Despite the more than positive home banking numbers, lHowever, Italy is at the bottom of the European rankings. Countries like Germany and Austria record rates double ours. In Scandinavia, the figure exceeds 70%.
