It’s been hard for me to associate “banking” with the word “cool”— let alone “sexy” — but yesterday I found out how the terms can actually relate from none other than one of the founders of “Cool SmartApps,” an m-banking platform for community bankers by Malauzai Software Inc. In short, I needed a new definition, and that’s what I got:

cool

– noun

1. In banking, cool is some sort of practical application rather than something splashy.

Indeed, Robb Gaynor, co-founder and chief product officer, highlighted his product’s social banking feature as an example of finance “cool.” [Heck, I even said “cool” when he was explaining the service to me.] In short, Cool SmartApps integrate with social media sites as a strategy to rev up a bank’s referral business by making it easy for customers to connect to sites while on the bank’s mobile app.

It was an “easy decision” to put a little “share button” on the m-banking apps, says Gaynor. Why? Consumers aren’t writing the chief executive of banks; rather, they are tweeting their issues.

“That is what cool is,” says Gaynor. “The small little things.”

Lesson learned. Now I’m thinking about my key chain in a new way. Thanks, Robb.