Most of the mobile sites I visited seemed to have only one goal, to get you to use the app
and the mobile interface is often so bad that you'd better use the app
What do they 'require' use of the app for? If my bank tried to pull that I'd say I don't have a smart phone. At least in the US I haven't seen a bank actually require an app but they do make the mobile website annoying enough to encourage it.
In the EU you have to verify your identity every time you log into your bank. You either need a physical token or you can use a mobile app to verify it's really you
No, you don't. That's your bank or maybe an Italy thing, but I can login without providing anything beyond my username and password. I do need to use an app to authorise transactions, but not for logging in and viewing my account balance or transaction history, pending transfers, etc.
Why do I need to use a mobile website? I guess the comment I replied to was meaning they require their app for mobile banking vs browser which I should have realized
The comment is deleted now but it said something like "I'll tell the bank I don't have a smart phone so I can't use the app" implying this would force the bank to allow them to use a mobile website.
What I misunderstood was what the bank required an app for, in my very sick and sleep deprived mind I thought they were saying banks required you to install their app to get service from that bank in any form which I thought was absurd, but that doesn't seem to be the case.