Firethorn Provides Mobile Wallet for BECU

By Editor Wireless and Mobile News on June 23, 2008 12:20 PM

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.