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first direct leading the way with social media payments

first direct has launched fdpay, a new service letting customers make peer to peer payments within social media apps

first direct customers are now able to make secure peer-to-peer payments seamlessly while using social media apps such as WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger.

In another first for UK banking, customers can now use the in-app PayKey technology to simply tap a payment icon on the phone’s keyboard within a conversation and manage a payment within seconds without having to open the banking app.

Until now, making payments required first direct customers to launch their banking app or login to online banking and enter the details to complete the payment. fdpay places the customer at the heart of the transaction, allowing them to make a secure, peer-to-peer payment while still in WhatsApp, Messenger or any other messaging app where the phone’s keyboard is used.

Joe Gordon, head of first direct , said: “We’re always listening to what customers say they want in order to give them the best service we can, and they told us it would be great if they were able to pay a contact within an already open conversation.

“People want to be able to manage their finances easily and securely, and fdpay is just another way for first direct to provide customers with a service they will find useful.”

Pioneering service

fdpay is available within the first direct Mobile Banking app and can be enabled from the phone’s keyboard settings in just a few steps. It can be used within any messaging app that uses the phone’s keyboard.

On pressing the fd button, customers are securely authenticated via the app and are able to make a payment.  fdpay uses the UK banking industry’s Paym service – where no account details are required to make the payment – just the beneficiary’s mobile phone number.  Immediate payments up to £350 a day possible.

fdpay was built in partnership with the fintech PayKey, and is another example of how first direct is working with leading fintechs to create innovative, highly useable features*.  PayKey enables banks to offer their customers access to financial services, including peer to peer payments, from within any mobile application.  PayKey’s first of its kind Mobile Banking Keyboard makes everyday banking easier and more efficient than ever before.

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