Bank of Ireland (BOI) is planning to launch its new long-awaited mobile banking app for customers at the end of this month.

The Irish banking group stated that the new app will have 50% increased functionality with enhanced security controls.

It will also include Apple Pay and Google Pay for payments, which was not included in the previously planned launch.

Furthermore, the app will allow users to access a range of payment options like direct debit and standing order services.

The bank added that the new app will be launched in phases, first for Android devices and then for iPhones.

At its annual general meeting (AGM), Bank of Ireland company secretary Sarah McLaughlin said: “As operations in response to Covid-19 have normalised, the bank expects to launch the app later this month.”

Initially, the mobile banking app was scheduled to launch in 2019.

It was also rolled out on a pilot basis amongst the staff in December 2019 as a key part of the bank’s on-going €1.15bn IT overhaul programme.

However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the bank decided to delay the launch until March 2020.

In March, the bank was again forced to suspend the launch as it diverted it resources to help mitigate the impact of the virus on its customers.