"Me Standard Chartered Online" offers features including a personal home page for customers, an online account opening service and real-time financial news by leading online financial information portal e-finet. Other services will include account balance review, fund transfer, securities trading, and credit card related services including payment and applications. According to Standard Chartered, online customers can choose a virtual "Service Ambassador" to guide them through the entire banking experience. New services are expected to be introduced next year, including a business-to-business and small to medium-sized enterprise portal.

Speaking at the launching of the new service, Standard Chartered Group Executive Director, Mervyn Davies, commented: '"Me Standard Chartered Online" is Standard Chartered’s first initiative in providing a series of online personalised banking services to our customers. With the increasing popularity of Internet usage in Hong Kong, this is the right time to launch this new service to provide our customers with a personalised and convenient banking experience. Online connectivity gives customers round-the-clock access to our banking service. As soon as customers get connected, they can plan and manage their own finances that are personalised to meet their needs at any time, anywhere. Standard Chartered is committed to playing a key role in nurturing an e-culture in the banking sector."

Mr Peter Wong, CEO and General Manager of Standard Chartered Bank, Hong Kong, said: 'We are proud to be the first bank to offer such an unique personalised Internet banking service in the market. "Me Standard Chartered Online" will strengthen our service offering to customers and cultivate a new relationship online. With this innovative service offering, our customers will be able to enjoy new experiences in managing their own finances. So log on to the future of Banking!'

To encourage new and existing customers to try out the new Internet banking service, Standard Chartered Bank has come up with a number of promotional incentives, such as bargain computer hardware and three-month's free broadband Internet access. Mr Davies said about half the bank's current customers use phone-banking: 'We would hope, given that we have a very large number of customers, that that customer base that use phone-banking would also feel comfortable using Internet banking,' he said.