Briefs: Defence Bank launches video app, Bibby's trade finance package, Apple leaps onto Kangaroos, 21 August 2015 3:45PM Banking Day staff Briefs, Defence Bank is claiming claimed a first for the Australian banking industry with the launch of an app that connects customers to a video call centre via smartphone. The Video Call App is available for Android and iOS smartphones. The bank has had in-branch videoconference facilities for some time and chief executive Jon Linehan said customers had a preference for face-to-face communication for high value transactions and investments. Specialist provider of debtor finance and invoice discounting, Bibby Financial Services, has introduced a trade finance package for small and medium businesses wanting to purchase goods for which they have confirmed customer orders. The firm said it has combined a purchase facility - to cover the upfront costs of an order - with an advance against customer invoices, part of which "liquidates" the purchase facility. Bibby said that, unlike the conventional letter of credit or business loan, its trade finance facility did not require real estate security and the funding was "scalable" with changes in sales and orders. Apple Inc attracted more than A$2.5 billion of orders from fixed income fund managers within hours of launching its first Australian dollar corporate bond issue yesterday, the AFR reports. Fund managers clamoured for the four- and seven-year bonds, with the order book reportedly reached $1 billion within two hours of the offer launching. Should the final deal value exceed $1 billion, Apple will have eclipsed BHP Billiton's October 2012 effort to notch up the largest sale of bonds by a non-financial corporation in the Australian market, the AFR says. The ASX, aiming to diversify its capital market and retail investor services and products, has reported its FY15 after tax profit was A$398 million, up just 3.8 per cent on FY14. Elmer Funke Kupper, ASX chief executive, noted that the exchange had put some investments and pricing changes on hold, pending the outcome of the Council of Financial Regulators' review of the market structure for clearing cash equities. He made no secret of his wish to see continuation of the current model for five years to give ASX the certainty it needed to replace its aging technology.