Understanding clients' digital behaviors is an essential component of bank strategies and investment initiatives. With this in mind, in April 2025, ABI Lab, the Consortium for Research and Innovation for Banking promoted by the Italian Banking Association (ABI), in collaboration with Doxa, conducted an online survey to analyze and describe the perceptions and behaviors of those who use mobile and internet banking, in order to understand their primary needs and expectations. The smartphone remains the key way to access digital banking services. From the mapping of informational and transactional operations in the survey, a lower overlap in usage emerges among digital devices (tablet and PC) to the benefit of the smartphone. As a result, for all transactions, mobile is becoming the major channel: 78% use it to check balances and card transactions (37% via internet banking), and 72% use it for bank transfers (44% via internet banking). Frequent usage of banking apps strengthens the idea of simplicity; 82% of respondents are likely to buy payment cards online, while 64% are likely to buy insurance policies. 46 % of respondents indicate that they are inclined to acquire a mortgage online. More than half of those polled expressed openness to non-banking services, with a particular interest in "mobility-related services", "initiatives based on missions, quizzes, and challenges to obtain refunds/discounts", and "tourism and leisure services". In terms of security, 87% of polled users believe that using the banking app is safe, and it is still regarded as the most reliable of all sorts of apps. Only 23% feel safer using a PC, while 58% see no difference in security between the devices they use (PC or smartphone). Lastly, the level of satisfaction with digital banking services remains high, with a particular emphasis on the rapidity and simplicity of operations.
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