The internet conspired to close branches across the country, and now the smartphone is wreaking a banking revolution of its own as Samsung-wielding consumers drive a renewed charge to mobile banking.

Roy Morgan’s ‘Mobile Phone Monitor’ found the number of Australians banking on their smartphones grew from 17.1% at the start of the year to 20.3% in December, driving a downturn in banking online via computers, which dropped from 55.2% to 49.3% over the same period.

Samsung smartphone owners are the driving force behind the shift, with the incidence of mobile banking among this group almost doubling in the past year.

This growth reflects the increased availability of mobile banking applications on Samsung’s Android operating systems, according to Roy Morgan.

“PCs are becoming less popular for everyday tasks as the capabilities of smartphones increase,” Andrew Braun, mobile, internet and technology industry director at Roy Morgan Research, says. “Where internet banking gave people the convenience of banking at home, smartphones now give them the convenience of banking anywhere.”

“Banks are rightly investing in mobile technologies to give their customers increased flexibility and security. The introduction of near field communications (NFC) technology — which allows smartphones to be used as a credit or debit card — will no doubt impact further on the trend.

iPhone users remain the most prolific mobile bankers with 28% transacting via their phone 18% of Samsung users. In the past year, users of both brands have made moves away from the personal computer as their online banking device.