Firethorn Holdings LLC, a Qualcomm company today
announced that it has added BECU (formally known as Boeing Employees'
Credit Union) to its growing roster of financial institution customers.
The nation's fourth largest credit union, BECU plans on launching the
Firethorn mobile wallet application in the first quarter of 2009. By
collaborating with Firethorn, BECU will enable its members to check
their account balances, transfer funds and view and pay bills through
their mobile devices. Future service capabilities will include more
advanced mobile transactions and mobile commerce.
With more than 550,000 members and more than $8.3 billion in assets,
BECU is the largest credit union in Washington state and is one of the
top five financial cooperatives in the country. BECU has more than 45
branches and more than 150 ATMs located throughout Western Washington.
"At BECU, our focus is always on the members and, in this case, letting
members choose how they want to interact with us," stated Howie Wu,
vice president of virtual banking at BECU. "By broadening our mobile
strategy, we are better able to serve our members' needs and stay ahead
of the curve in this ever-changing landscape. Our decision to enter
into a strategic collaboration with Firethorn was grounded in the
belief that they share our vision for mobile banking and mobile
payments. In addition, Firethorn's recent acquisition by Qualcomm
places them in a great position to help us ensure we are able to meet
the future needs of our members in the mobile commerce space."
Because Firethorn is the preferred mobile commerce enabler of the
nation's leading mobile network operators, Firethorn's strategic
clients, such as BECU, gain the unique advantages of a certified,
frequently pre-loaded application, as well as marketing expertise to
drive adoption and end-to-end customer support.
"As the nation's fourth largest credit union, BECU is sending a message
to credit unions across the nation that the future is mobile," said
Tripp Rackley, Firethorn's chief executive officer. "Firethorn is proud
to be collaborating with BECU to make mobile commerce a mainstream
reality."
As the mobile commerce subsidiary of global wireless technology leader
Qualcomm, Firethorn is able to leverage Qualcomm's substantial wireless
technology innovations and its world-leading development expertise to
design and deliver a superior mobile user experience.