In Turkey, popular bank Garanti is causing a stir with its revolutionary banking-on-the-go app iGaranti. As more services go mobile, the future of seamless, social money management seems likely to come in the form of smartphone integration and a consumer driven-approach.

Studies show that three quarters of us are born with the inclination to make poor spending decisions - spurring the creation of Japanese money management app PhotoMoney. And while it's not the first, developers believe it's unique enough to effectively alter spending habits.

Brands hit hard by the economic downturn are turning to a strategy of heavily discounting products in order to attract consumers. But can the downsides of services such as Groupon outweigh the benefits for brands and shoppers?

In the smartphone era, 'traditional' card-based loyalty schemes are evolving. How does Shopkick, an app that rewards people for shopping, inject new life into the high street?