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The Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) has teamed with the stiffest competitor of its affiliate mobile company Globe Telecoms. BPI and Smart Communications has entered into a partnership that would provide a new mobile banking platform that will offer a full range of services to the two companies’ common clients.

In spite of its affiliation with Globe, BPI is willing to embrace technology and utilize all channels that would boost its service to its 3.5-million group-wide client base, said BPI president Aurelio Montinola III. “It’s really part of BPI’s commitment to take advantage of alternative channels to make banking more convenient for our clients,” he said.

With the new team-up, BPI clients who are also Smart Buddy, Smart Gold and Infinity subscribers can access their bank accounts and do balance inquiry, fund transfers, bills payment, Smart prepaid airtime reloading and Smart Money reloading through their mobile phones.

Napoleon Nazareno, president of Smart and its parent company Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLTD) said, “We are confident that this partnership with BPI, the country’s pioneer in electronic banking, will result in an expanded, more secure and more convenient banking experience for millions of Smart and BPI customers.”

He added, “Smart sees bright prospects for mobile commerce in the Philippines. As the country’s leading telco, we have adopted the fundamental strategy of providing relevant communications solutions and mobile security infrastructure to our partner banks.”

Before the full-mobile banking arrangement between BPI and Smart, common clients could only perform balance inquiry through their cell phones.

Smart has about 38.5 million subscribers on its GSM network. While BPI’s Montinola said that an estimated 250,000 to 500,000 of their 3.5 million retail client base have already started using alternative electronic banking channels, excluding the automated teller machines.