# BMO (Bank of Montreal) Mobile Banking

> Source: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/bmo
> research date 2026-05-29 · extracted at 2026-10-07
> Publisher: Barcoder — encyclopedia of QR, barcode and payment-code standards

Specifications:
- [BMO Bank of Montreal — official](https://www.bmo.com/)

## Overview

**BMO (Bank of Montreal)** is **one of Canada's Big-5 banks** + **Canada's oldest bank** (founded 1817) <sup>[1][1], [2][2], [Canada report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/CA)</sup>. **2025 baseline**: **13M customers across Canada + US + select global markets** + **#1 in EMARKETER's 2025 Canada Mobile Banking Features Benchmark for 2nd consecutive year**.

**Distinctive BMO positioning** <sup>[3][3], [4][4]</sup>:
- **Canada's oldest bank** — founded 1817 in Montreal (older than ANZ/Westpac 1817 + Bank of Nova Scotia 1832)
- **Canada Big-5 bank** (alongside RBC + TD + Scotiabank + CIBC)
- **#1 in EMARKETER's 2025 Canada Mobile Banking Features Benchmark for 2nd consecutive year**
- **#1 in 6 categories**: Account Management + Alerts + Digital Money Management + Security (first time) + 2 others
- **#2 in Online Banking Satisfaction**
- **App ratings**: 4.6/5 Apple App Store from 100,000+ ratings + 4.7/5 Google Play
- **2023 BMO + Bank of the West acquisition**: Distinctive US expansion via $16.3B Bank of the West (BNP Paribas's US subsidiary) acquisition

## History

**November 3, 1817 — Bank of Montreal founded** in Montreal — distinctive Canada's oldest bank.

**1862 — BMO opens its London, England agency office**.

**1818 — BMO becomes Canada's first chartered bank**.

**2011 — BMO + Marshall & Ilsley merger** (US expansion via M&I Bank acquisition).

**2010 — BMO Mobile Banking app launches**.

**February 2023 — BMO + Bank of the West acquisition closes** <sup>[2][2]</sup>: $16.3B acquisition of BNP Paribas's US subsidiary (distinctive US expansion).

**May 27, 2025 — BMO Ranked First in EMARKETER's 2025 Canada Mobile Banking Features Benchmark** <sup>[3][3]</sup> (for 2nd consecutive year).

## Ownership & operator

**Operating entity**: **Bank of Montreal (BMO)** (TSX: BMO; NYSE: BMO); **BMO Harris Bank N.A.** (US subsidiary; post-2011 M&I merger + 2023 Bank of the West acquisition).

**Major shareholders**: **Vanguard + BlackRock + State Street + various Canadian institutional + TSX + NYSE public floats** (widely held; no controlling shareholder).

**Regulators**: **OSFI (Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions)** + **Bank of Canada** + **FCAC (Financial Consumer Agency of Canada)** + **FRB (Federal Reserve Board; US)** + **OCC (Office of the Comptroller of the Currency; US)** + per-country.

## Technical integration

| Layer | Description |
|---|---|
| **Channels** | BMO Mobile Banking app (iOS + Android; primary CA retail-banking mobile channel; 4.6/5 Apple App Store + 4.7/5 Google Play) + BMO Online Banking + BMO cards (Visa + Mastercard; BMO Rewards + AIR MILES + CashBack + BMO Eclipse) + BMO branch network (CA + US Midwest + US West Coast post-2023 Bank of the West) |
| **Identifiers** | Phone + email + card number + account number |
| **CA rail** | **[Interac QR](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/interac-qr)** (Interac e-Transfer Canadian national P2P payment; Interac consortium) |
| **License** | Bank (BMO full Canadian + US banking licenses; Canada Big-5) |
| **Sub-products** | BMO Account + BMO Cards + BMO Credit + BMO Mortgages + BMO Investments + BMO Insurance + BMO InvestorLine + BMO Wealth Management + BMO Capital Markets + BMO Harris Bank N.A. (US subsidiary post-2011 M&I + 2023 Bank of the West acquisitions) + BMO Global Asset Management |
| **Distinctive 2025**: #1 in EMARKETER's 2025 Canada Mobile Banking Features Benchmark for 2nd consecutive year; #1 in Account Management + Alerts + Digital Money Management + Security (first time) categories |

## Users & growth

**2025 baseline** <sup>[1][1], [3][3]</sup>:
- **13M customers** across Canada + US + select global markets
- **#1 in EMARKETER's 2025 Canada Mobile Banking Features Benchmark for 2nd consecutive year**
- **#1 in Account Management + Alerts + Digital Money Management + Security (first time)**
- **#2 in Online Banking Satisfaction**
- **App ratings**: 4.6/5 Apple App Store from 100,000+ ratings + 4.7/5 Google Play

## Use cases

Canadian + US + select global retail + corporate + investment + wealth-management + insurance banking via BMO Mobile Banking + BMO Online + cards (Rewards + AIR MILES + CashBack + Eclipse) + branches (CA + US Midwest + US West Coast); Interac e-Transfer; BMO InvestorLine + BMO Wealth Management + BMO Capital Markets + BMO Harris Bank N.A. (US subsidiary post-2011 M&I + 2023 Bank of the West) + BMO Global Asset Management.

## Implementations & partners

**Operator**: **Bank of Montreal (BMO)** (TSX: BMO; NYSE: BMO); BMO Harris Bank N.A. (US subsidiary).

**Major shareholders**: **Vanguard + BlackRock + State Street + Canadian institutional + TSX + NYSE public floats** (widely held).

**Major Canadian banking competitors**:
- **[RBC Mobile (Royal Bank of Canada)](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/rbc-mobile)** (Royal Bank of Canada; Canada's biggest bank by market cap; 18M+ clients in 29 countries; #1 J.D. Power 2024 Mobile App)
- **[TD Canada (Toronto-Dominion Bank)](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/td-canada)** (TD Canada Trust; Toronto-Dominion Bank; Canada Big-5 + 13M+ active mobile users in CA + US; "More Human" 2026 brand platform)
- **Scotiabank** (Bank of Nova Scotia; Canada Big-5; LatAm + Caribbean presence)
- **CIBC** (Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce; Canada Big-5)
- **National Bank of Canada** (Canada's 6th-largest bank; Quebec-focused)
- **Tangerine** (Scotiabank digital bank subsidiary; formerly ING Direct Canada)
- **Simplii Financial** (CIBC digital bank subsidiary; formerly PC Financial)
- **Wealthsimple** (Canadian fintech)

**Interac consortium**: BMO + RBC + TD + Scotiabank + CIBC + National Bank + Desjardins + Canadian Western Bank + ATB Financial (Interac e-Transfer founding-bank participants).

**Historic US expansion**: **2011 BMO + Marshall & Ilsley (M&I Bank) merger** (US Midwest expansion) + **February 2023 BMO + Bank of the West $16.3B acquisition** (US West Coast expansion; from BNP Paribas).

**Regulators**: **OSFI + Bank of Canada + FCAC + FRB + OCC + per-country**.

## Fun facts

- **Canada's oldest bank** — founded November 3, 1817 in Montreal.
- **One of Canada's Big-5 banks**.
- **13M customers** across Canada + US + select global markets.
- **#1 in EMARKETER's 2025 Canada Mobile Banking Features Benchmark for 2nd consecutive year**.
- **#1 in Account Management + Alerts + Digital Money Management + Security categories** (Security first time).
- **#2 in Online Banking Satisfaction**.
- **App ratings**: 4.6/5 Apple App Store from 100,000+ ratings + 4.7/5 Google Play.
- **February 2023 BMO + Bank of the West $16.3B acquisition** — distinctive US expansion via BNP Paribas's US subsidiary.
- **2011 BMO + Marshall & Ilsley merger** — US Midwest expansion (M&I Bank).
- **BMO Harris Bank N.A.** US subsidiary.

## Comparison

| Feature | BMO Mobile Banking | [RBC Mobile (Royal Bank of Canada)](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/rbc-mobile) (Canada's biggest bank by market cap rival; 18M+ in 29 countries) | [TD Canada (Toronto-Dominion Bank)](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/td-canada) (Canada Big-5 + 13M+ active mobile users in CA + US rival) | [Scotiabank (Bank of Nova Scotia)](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/scotiabank-ca) (Canada Big-5 + LatAm/Caribbean rival) | [Bank of America](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/bank-of-america) (US's #2 bank by assets comparable) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | **Bank of Montreal (TSX: BMO; NYSE: BMO; widely held: Vanguard + BlackRock + State Street + Canadian institutional + TSX + NYSE floats; BMO Harris Bank N.A. US subsidiary)** | Royal Bank of Canada (TSX: RY; NYSE: RY; widely held) | Toronto-Dominion Bank (TSX: TD; NYSE: TD; TD Canada Trust + TD Bank, N.A. US subsidiary) | Bank of Nova Scotia (TSX: BNS; NYSE: BNS) | Bank of America Corporation (NYSE: BAC; widely held) |
| Type | **Canada's oldest bank (1817) + Canada Big-5 + 13M customers in CA + US + select global + #1 EMARKETER 2025 Canada Mobile Banking Features Benchmark for 2nd consecutive year + 2023 $16.3B Bank of the West acquisition** | Canada's biggest bank by market cap + one of world's largest + 18M+ clients in 29 countries + #1 J.D. Power 2024 Mobile App | Canada Big-5 + leading US East-Coast bank + 13M+ active mobile users in CA + US + Feb 2026 "More Human" brand platform | Canada Big-5 + LatAm + Caribbean presence + Tangerine digital subsidiary | US #2 bank by assets |
| Country | CA + US + select global | CA + US + 27 other countries | CA + US | CA + LatAm + Caribbean | US |
| Users | **13M customers; #1 EMARKETER 2025 Canada Mobile Banking Features Benchmark for 2nd consecutive year; 4.6/5 Apple App Store from 100K+ ratings + 4.7/5 Google Play** | 18M+ clients in 29 countries; #1 J.D. Power 2024 Mobile App | 13M+ active mobile users in CA + US | LatAm + Caribbean major | ~40M mobile-active customers; Erica 20M+ users |
| Distinctive | **Nov 3 1817 founding in Montreal (Canada's oldest bank); 2011 BMO + Marshall & Ilsley M&I merger (US Midwest expansion); Feb 2023 BMO + Bank of the West $16.3B acquisition from BNP Paribas (US West Coast expansion); #1 EMARKETER 2025 Canada Mobile Banking Features Benchmark for 2nd consecutive year; #1 in Account Management + Alerts + Digital Money Management + Security (first time)** | 1864 Merchants' Bank of Halifax founding; 1901 renamed RBC; #1 J.D. Power 2024 Mobile App; mortgage renewal in minutes via RBC Mobile; RBC City National US + RBC Caribbean | 1855 Bank of Toronto founding; 1955 TD merger; 2008 TD acquires Commerce Bancorp forming TD Bank N.A.; Feb 2026 "More Human" brand platform unifies TD identity across CA + US for first time; Mar 31 2026 TD Easy Trade DIY investing app | LatAm + Caribbean presence; Tangerine digital subsidiary | 1904 founding as Bank of Italy by Amadeo Giannini; Jun 2018 Erica AI assistant pioneering |

## Status

**Active, Canada's oldest bank + Canada Big-5 + #1 in EMARKETER's 2025 Canada Mobile Banking Features Benchmark for 2nd consecutive year** <sup>[1][1], [3][3]</sup>:
- **Bank of Montreal (BMO)** (TSX: BMO; NYSE: BMO) since November 3, 1817 (Montreal founding).
- **13M customers** across Canada + US + select global markets.
- **2011 BMO + Marshall & Ilsley M&I merger** (US Midwest) + **February 2023 BMO + Bank of the West $16.3B acquisition** (US West Coast; from BNP Paribas).
- **BMO Harris Bank N.A.** US subsidiary.
- **OSFI + Bank of Canada + FCAC + FRB + OCC + per-country regulated**.

## Sources

[1]: https://www.bmo.com/en-ca/main/personal/ "BMO Canada — Personal Banking, Credit Cards, Loans & Investing — official"
[2]: https://www.bmo.com/en-ca/main/personal/ways-to-bank/digital-banking/ "Digital Banking — BMO Canada"
[3]: https://newsroom.bmo.com/2025-05-27-BMO-Ranked-First-in-EMARKETERs-2025-Canada-Mobile-Banking-Features-Benchmark "BMO Ranked First in EMARKETER's 2025 Canada Mobile Banking Features Benchmark — May 27 2025"
[4]: https://hardbacon.ca/en/bmo-bank-review/ "BMO Review (2026) — Hardbacon"
[ca-cro]: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/CA

- [1] [BMO Canada — official][1]
- [2] [Digital Banking — BMO Canada][2]
- [3] [BMO Ranked First in EMARKETER's 2025 Canada Mobile Banking Features Benchmark — May 27 2025][3]
- [4] [BMO Review (2026) — Hardbacon][4]
- <sup>[Canada report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/CA)</sup> In-corpus: `reports/countries/CA-canada.md`

## Source

Biography extracted from [bmo.md](https://docs.barcoder.ai/source/wallets/bmo). See `matrix.md` for standards-support matrix if present.