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> major banks already offer a competitive digital platform. Did this improve a lot recently? Only 2 years ago, the Wall Street Journal described the inconvenie
by hyperrail 6y ago
> major banks already offer a competitive digital platform.
Did this improve a lot recently? Only 2 years ago, the Wall Street Journal described the inconvenience of Israeli banking this way:
> Banking occupies a special place among the complaints of Israelis. Banks refuse to give out the phone number of a designated representative. Most basic functions can be dealt with only in person at the branch where an account was opened.
> Tech workers - many of them American and European immigrants who came of age with mobile banking - can toil all day on some of the world's most advanced projects, only to find they can't email their bank any documents. Many Israeli banks demand documents in person, sent by mail or by fax.
> when [Aliza Landes, a] 35-year-old American-Israeli [,] recently tried to send money electronically to pay for her wedding dress, the experience was less than high tech. It took two hours on the phone, and then a trip to her bank branch, where employees manually added the send-money function to her app.
from https://archive.is/EongN https://archive.is/EongN / https://www.wsj.com/articles/whats-the-hot-device-in-startup-nation-the-fax-machine-11550765864 https://www.wsj.com/articles/whats-the-hot-device-in-startup...
- tguvot 6y agobeen with bank hapoalim, which is one of the larger banks. maybe this article relates to one of the worst banks. - i have a designated representative for 20 years or so (usually it happens when you have income above average I guess) - most of functions I could do via web site for many-many years. probably also via mobile app. - been emailing documents to my bank for 5 years at least - can make either local same day transfers or international transfers online, forever. with regards to "trip to branch where employees added send-money function to app", you need to sign agreement for performing operations online and stuff (probably part of regulations). till you do it, web banking is a bit limited. those days you can agree to it online i think
- josh_fyi 6y agoThis has not been my experience. It's quite easy to send money to any bank account even in another Bank. The online portal at my bank is pretty easy to use
- crmd 6y agoI’m an American that had to work in Israel for a couple of years. Israeli banking is weird. For example I was often asked by my banker (Hapoalim) to hand write instructions/permission to do something on a piece of paper, take a picture of it with my phone, and text it to him. It’s hard to imagine a salty Chase Bank rep back home asking for this. Israel is this strange combination of first world and third world improvisational organized chaos mentality.
- tguvot 6y agoProbably just "chain of evidence" to make sure there were no misunderstandings or something. Never had to do anything like this .
- hakfoo 6y agoI wanted to close an account from a credit union in the States, mid-pandemic. I called, they said to email a support person. The support person told me to write a letter, photograph it with my identity card in the picture, and send it over. It felt strangely surreal.
- llimos 6y agoNot my experience (with Bank Mizrahi). Can do almost anything on the web. Can even cash in checks by taking a picture of them on the app. Calling the central number for the bank directs the call automatically to my personal banker based on my caller ID. I haven't been to the branch in years. Although it is true that when you _do_ need to go in, you need to go to your own branch, which is something that surprised me coming from the UK.
- simplyaccont 6y agoThis is probably because accounts are branch specific and all your paperwork is there. If you want to move branch, your account number will change. Maybe one day they will "fix" it .