Westpac Group has unveiled an innovation centre dubbed The Hive in Kogarah, Sydney today to develop more services for its 10 million customers in Australia. The $4 million 800-metre centre will be used by Westpac Group staff to work on a number of projects including mobile development. For example, it launched a St George mobile banking app on the Samsung Gear 2 wearable device at The Hive. If the St George app is successful, a Westpac version may be rolled out in 2015. Other projects planned include cloud services development and 3D printing of prototypes. Westpac Group staff and industry partners, such as Telstra and IBM, will collaborate on some of these projects. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe A wireless demilitarised zone, which is isolated from Westpac’s corporate network, will allow bank staff and industry partners with Internet access. Westpac Group CEO Gail Kelly said in a statement that staff will be able to quickly test and develop ideas for new products that “set us apart from our competitors”. According to Kelly, it was the first Australian bank to introduce ATMs in 1980 and online banking in 2003. Westpac Group COO John Arthur said The Hive would help it “constantly improve services” and respond to customer’s changing needs. “Our customers live in a 24/7 digital world, with everything at their fingertips. They are always looking for innovative banking services. A more agile mindset will help us respond to, and anticipate, changing market needs,” he said. Westpac Group has been contacted for more details about the Samsung Gear launch. In February 2014, Westpac Group general manager Harry Wendt said it was trialling a version of the St George MoneyMeter app for Google Glass and smart watches. The iPhone version of MoneyMeter app lets users check bank balances multiple times on their iPhones without having to log onto its mobile banking service. It was launched in December 2012. Follow Hamish Barwick on Twitter: @HamishBarwick Follow CIO Australia on Twitter and Like us on Facebook… Twitter: @CIO_Australia, Facebook: CIO Australia, or take part in the CIO conversation on LinkedIn: CIO Australia Related content opinion The changing face of cybersecurity threats in 2023 Cybersecurity has always been a cat-and-mouse game, but the mice keep getting bigger and are becoming increasingly harder to hunt. By Dipti Parmar Sep 29, 2023 8 mins Cybercrime Security brandpost Should finance organizations bank on Generative AI? Finance and banking organizations are looking at generative AI to support employees and customers across a range of text and numerically-based use cases. By Jay Limbasiya, Global AI, Analytics, & Data Management Business Development, Unstructured Data Solutions, Dell Technologies Sep 29, 2023 5 mins Artificial Intelligence brandpost Embrace the Generative AI revolution: a guide to integrating Generative AI into your operations The CTO of SAP shares his experiences and learnings to provide actionable insights on navigating the GenAI revolution. By Juergen Mueller Sep 29, 2023 4 mins Artificial Intelligence feature 10 most in-demand generative AI skills Gen AI is booming, and companies are scrambling to fill skills gaps by hiring freelancers to make the most of the technology. These are the 10 most sought-after generative AI skills on the market right now. By Sarah K. White Sep 29, 2023 8 mins Hiring Generative AI IT Skills Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe