Australia’s Commonwealth Bank gets into the mobile POS business

Commonwealth Bank of Australia has done an Apple and rolled out a new set of mobile software, hardware and applications technologies for merchants enabling point-of-sale transactions.

The Australian bank has partnered with Wincor Nixdorf and Ideo to build a seven-inch Android-based tablet device called Albert, featuring an interactive touchscreen, secure EMV pin interface, printer, and merchant terminal functionality. Albert is complemented by CommBank Leo, which transforms iPhones and iPod Touch devices into fully-functioning merchant terminals.

The new devices, which set the bank against the likes of Square and Apple in the merchant hardware business, are supported by a new developer portal called CommBank PI, which provides a sandbox for custom-coding by merchants and third-party application developers. As with Apple, Commonwealth Bank is exerting tight control over the ecosystem, with all apps subject to approval before they are released for use.

As part of the roll-out, the bank has also developed a range of CommBank PI applications, including the ability to split the bill between multiple people and payment methods.

Exclusive to CommBank, the Pi solution is a unique and powerful platform for business, enhancing face-to-face customer interaction at point of sale, while offering secure payments. You can register your interest at http://www.commbank.com.au/pi

CommBank's ambitions extend beyond its own shores, with the bank intent on pushing the hardware to the wider Asia Pacific market and Wincor Nixdorf covering the rest of the world.