Mobile banking is huge, and is only going to get bigger, according to a 2010 report by Global Industry Analytics, Inc.  As cell phones get cheaper and service becomes more widespread

With mobile devices being used more often for everyday banking transactions, consumers are showing an increased concern that the information passed over these devices is secure.

Whether or not you have an iPhone, a Droid or a Nexus One, one thing that all mobile users have in common is that they all use mobile banking.

Wall Street is doing well, but people are still skeptical whether or not financial institutions will continue to perform in the New Year.

A "worm" of the most malicious kind is making its way within Apple's iPhone system.

Lawrence Flanagan, the Chief Marketing Officer of MasterCard, recently had a little heart-to-heart with Forbes about the need to rebuild trust between financial institutions and consumers.

The development and increasing popularity of online banking has been one of the most noteworthy phenomenons in the world of personal finance over the past fifteen years.

Word is out that mobile banking may soon become the new black.

According to Aite Group LLC, the number of banks in the U.S. offering mobile banking is expected to increase to 614 in 2009 compared to 245 in 2008. Banks have begun to adopt mobile banking technology after overcoming fears of low return-on-investment and risks of investing in perpetually changing technology.

The evolution of the internet has led to increased transparency of financial services and is empowering women to make banking decisions through research, comparison shopping and social interaction directly with banking sites, independent blogs and social networking groups. In the United Kingdom only 3% of adults in 1999 used the internet for banking, which has risen to 28% today and is estimated to reach 80% by 2020 based on the research by the “future foundation“, an Experian company. While research indicates women are becoming more dominant in personal and family household financial management, they are lagging behind the curve and have failed to adapt to using online financial products and investment advice. In particularly the “Consumer Focus Tech Savvy Study” found that females were less accepting in using the internet for financial products and investment advice with only 13% of respondents 18 to 24 years old and 17% of the 25 to 34 year-old group actively participating.

A research study “50 Years of Savings: Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow” conducted by the “future foundation” in the United Kingdom has identified trends that suggest that “more women are making the big money decisions and that women will have the final say in big financial decisions than men by 2057.” The study concluded that “when it comes to couple’s financial matters, the future of finance is female and as a consequence banks will require increased personal relationships with social interaction”. Women are significantly more likely to bring broader ‘values-led’ agendas to bear on consumption choices than men.

A finding in the report interestingly notes that the gender sexism of the ‘50s could be reversed as women become more qualified in financial matters, out-earn men and take on the lion’s share of domestic administration, we could see the “father knows best” attitude replaced with “mum knows best” as men surrender control of finances to their partners.