Tablets are set to overtake mobile phones as the handset of choice for banking access by 2016, according to research from Forrester.
While mobile banking use in Europe will grow fast - from 42 million users in 2013 to 99 million in 2018 - tablet banking will grow twice as fast - from 19 million users in 2013 to 115 million in 2018, says the analyst house.
Growing tablet ownership, the increased availability of tablet banking apps, and fewer security fears among users are the key drivers behind the explosive growth predicted by the report.
Forrester analyst Stephen Walker, comments: "We expect the number of Western European online banking users on PCs and tablets to grow slowly in the next five years and reach 163 million by 2018, masking a big underlying shift from PCs to tablets to access banks' websites."
Forrester expects the proportion of European tablet owners who bank on the devices to almost double from 35% in 2013 to 68% by 2018. In 2018, Sweden will have the highest tablet banking adoption at 89%, while Italy will have the lowest at 54%.