More than 450,000 retail bank customers aged over 60 within the UK are using banking apps on smartphones and tablets, with nearly 20,000 of them over the age of 80. One HSBC customer aged 108 has downloaded its banking app.

The figures come from a new report by the British Banking Association, which also showed that almost 2.3m people aged between 70 and 100 are registered to use internet banking, with over 600,000 of them 80 and above.

306,000 customers aged 60 plus have signed up to receive text alerts from their bank on their smartphones, warning them when they are close to agreed borrowing limits.

The study suggests that older customers use mobile and internet banking only slightly less or just the same as younger customers, and in fact some banks are experiencing faster growth in digital services among older customers. The number of customers in their 70s who have downloaded the RBS app has grown by 93 per cent in the past year, more than any other age group.

“These figures shatter the myth that this technology is only for younger generations – millions of older people are avid users of banking websites and apps,” said Anthony Browne, chief executive of the British Banking Association. “Banking on the move is as much a reality for silver surfers as it is for students.

“Customers of all ages like the fact that they can now make payments, check balances and do other banking tasks from the comfort of their home without trudging into town. Its precisely because these technologies are so popular with people of all ages that banks are investing so heavily in them.”