Very cool new feature from Mint.  Few banks have done this, and Clairmail offer this service, but with Mint customers can get it for any bank. Text Mint to See if You’ve Been Naughty or Nice Starting today, text BAL or BALANCE to MyMint (696-468) from any checkout line in America and we’ll send you the balances in all of the checking, savings and investment accounts you track in your Mint account.  Just think of it, no more embarrassing “your credit card has been declined” moments. This typifies the disruptive forces at play and during these tough times, I would … Continue reading Text Mint.com to retrieve account balances

RBC continue to promote small incremental change online that flies in the face of traditional banks, and certainly more than we expect from the largest bank of any country. Check it out here.  What better way to learn and understand the Internet environment. Online Banking Rating and Reviews To my knowledge only Bank of America have dabbled in this kind of thing to date, and no bank in Canada. Continue reading RBC continue to do small things well

Here is another terrific innovation from Wesabe.  It provides up to date bank and credit card balances in a Vista gadget.  Incidentally, I had no idea this was coming when I did the competitive alignment/ innovation/ Microsoft post yesterday. Wesabe | Windows Vista Gadget The Wesabe Windows Vista Gadget is a small application you can run in your Windows Vista Sidebar to give you instant access to your account balances and recent transactions. Technorati Tags: wesabe Continue reading Wesabe introduces a bank balance Vista gadget

Umair always asks the big questions, and this is no exception.  What struck me about Chrome is how it disrupts Microsoft’s entire business model by promoting a browser designed for the application web – MS weak point.  But that’s not half the story. How to Chrome Your Industry Imagine what would happen if GM and Ford collaborated to invest in the components and architecture of a better public transport network — and then licensed it for free to cities, states, and countries. Imagine what would happen if pharma players directly invested in better hospitals and clinics — instead of in … Continue reading Mr Banker – Where is the Chrome in your strategy?

Off banking topic; thinking about disruption, and systemic economic change its worth reflecting and remembering how GE was held up as the MBA case study for many years in the 90’s for their management approach, yet the environment has still shifted away from their manufacturing roots, and caught them off guard. FT.com / Companies / Energy Utilities Mining – GE launches radical shake-up GE’s shares have underperformed the S&P 500 Index in the past five years and are down 23 per cent in 2008, emboldening some investors to press Mr Immelt for more dramatic changes, including a possible break-up of … Continue reading “GE launches radical shake-up” | ft.com

New report from McKinsey [free] on open innovation, or co-creation of products and services. The usual examples are offerred, from Linux, LEGO, Missha, and ATLAS (Scientific). next step in open innovation – The McKinsey Quarterly – next step in open innovation – Information Technology – Networking # Cocreating products and services with customers, however, is uncertain territory fraught with challenges and questions—for instance, who owns the resulting intellectual property? Nonetheless, smart companies are now beginning to encourage their customers to help them develop the products and services consumers really want. There is discussion of governance, and some skepticism that the … Continue reading Next step in open innovation | McKinsey