Tag: India

A Study on Marketing Strategy of Banking Industry in India-Allahabad Bank

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The Oldest Joint Stock Bank of the Country, Allahabad Bank was founded in April 24th of the year 1865 at the confluence city of Allahabad by a group of Europeans. At that occasion Organized Industry, Trade and Banking started taking shape in India. Thus, the History of the Bank spread over three Centuries – namely Nineteenth, Twentieth and Twenty-First. As a leading public sector commercial banks in India, Allahabad Bank offering banking products and services to corporate and commercial customers and retail customers. The Bank particularly focuses on the retail banking while serving all sectors of the Indian economy. Bank’s operations for corporate and commercial customers cater to large corporate customers as well as to small and middle market businesses and Government entities. Corporate and commercial products include Term Loans, Bill Discounting, Export Credit and other business credit and financing products. Also the bank offers a wide range of retail products including Home Loans, Personal Loans and Automobile Loans as well as Debit Cards. In addition, specialised products and services to the agricultural sector also one of entity of the bank. All the above products and services of the bank offered through extensive branch network, extension counters, ATMs, phone banking and the Internet. This article will be helpful in writing Project Report on Marketing.In Twentieth Century, The Bank became a part of P & O Banking Corporation’s group with a bid price of Rs.436 per share in 1920. The Head Office of the Bank was shifted to Calcutta on business considerations during the year of 1923. The Bank crossed its century year in 1965. In July 19th of the year 1969, Allahabad Bank was nationalized (with 151Branches – Rs.119 crores of Deposits and Rs.82 crores of Advances) along with 13 other banks. United Industrial Bank Ltd was merged with the bank in October of the year1989. The Bank made a foray into merchant banking activity in 1984 and subsequently instituted AllBank Finance Ltd as a wholly owned subsidiary for Merchant Banking in the year of 1991. The Official Language Implementation Committee of Calcutta awarded the Rajbhasha Shield to the Bank as Second Prize for its best performance for the year 1991. During the year 1995, The Bank had entered into an MOU with the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) for financing small-scale industrial units. In 1996, The Bank had set up Information Technology Centre to provide in-depth computer training to Officers at Calcutta and Lucknow. Consequent to the SEBI Rules and Regulation the company surrendered its merchant banking registration in 1998 and got it registered as a Non Banking Financial Company (NBFC) with Reserve Bank of India (RBI). In the same year of 1998, the bank had received permission from the RBI for gold trading. Allahabad Bank has entered into an arrangement, informally though, with IDBI and ICICI in regard to funding of infrastructure projects. During the year 1999, Allahabad Bank has launched two new schemes to increase the pace of credit off take and in the same period TATA Consultancy Services (TCS) has entered into a contract with Bank for implementing the Integrated Standard Banking System (ISBS), a branch mechanisation package at 60 branches. The Bank bagged three major core sector clients, namely the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), Power Grid Corporation and Indian Railway Finance Corporation Ltd (IRFC). This report shows that Allahabad Bank has performed well which is reflected in its Ratio Analysis Reports In Twenty-First Century, Allahabad Bank has launched its new personal loan scheme for pensioners in the year of 2001. As at October of the year 2002, the bank came out with Initial Public Offer (IPO) of 10 crores share of face value Rs.10 each, reducing Government shareholding to 71.16% and in the same year 2002, Allahabad has tied up with National Institute of Banking Management, Crisil and Earnst & Young for development of HRM, risk Management and general business strategy. The Bank has seized the commercial assets of the Guarantors of Ramolene Fabrics (P) Ltd in 2003 at Mumbai and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Corporation Bank for mutual sharing of their ATM Network. The Bank has entered into an MOU in the year of 2004 with the Export Credit Guarantee Corporation of India (ECGC) for distribution of their products to the exporters. UTI Mutual Fund and Allahabad Bank on April 5, 2004 announced a strategic tie-up for distribution of UTI MF schemes. During April of the year 2005, the bank made Follow on Public Offer (FPO) of 10 crores equity shares of face value Rs.10 each with a premium of Rs.72, reducing Government shareholding to 55.23%. The Bank has signed MoU with Mahindra Gujarat Tractor Ltd in the identical year 2005 for financing Hindustan brand tractor under special finance scheme. Allahabad Bank transcended beyond the National Boundary, Allahabad bank had opened a representative office at Shenzen, China in June 2006. In October of the same year 2006, the bank rolled out its first branch under Core Banking Services (CBS). During February of the year 2007, The Bank opened its first overseas branch at Hong Kong. During the calendar year of 2007, 100 more branches opened throughout the country, the total number of branches were stirred from 2042 to 2142 of which rural are 983 (46%), semi-urban 402 (19%), urban 450 (21%) and metropolitan 307 (14%). There is no doubt that reading Banking Industry Reports is essential for knowing the history of a bank. Allahabad Bank has opened its 2154th branch in at Pudukkottai, Tamil Nadu during March of the year 2008. The Bank has 211 ATM’s and Card members can now have access at over 16500 ATM’s all across the country under National Financial Switch. One of the premier nationalised banks of the country, Allahabad Bank has commenced the process of implementing the Agricultural Debt Waiver and Debt Relief Scheme-2008 in June of the year 2008. The Bank has improved its performance and established its visibility and strong presence in the market. The Bank is steadily moving at a faster pace to consolidate its position in the coming days introducing extensive computerization to ensure the state-of-the-art service comfort for its customers. The Bank has already in hand 116 authorizations for opening of new branches. Bank’s plan is to expand in areas where the Bank’s presence is not very much visible now and where business potentiality is good.

Add Breeze Banking To Your Life

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The Breeze from Stan Chart (also known as the Standard Chartered Bank) has created a new generation online banking platform that is making waves all over Singapore where it was developed!

Available in both Singapore and Malaysia the Standard Chartered Breeze will be available in Hong Kong and India very soon. From there it will extend its reach to the rest of the world. Prepare for the Breeze experience to breeze its way into your town or city and into your very life!

If you have always found it boring, frustrating, stressful, annoying or inconvenient to do your banking then you are ready for the Breeze experience to come into your life! Breeze is available to customers of the Standard Chartered Bank as an internet application or if you prefer, as an iPhone app. Do no fret over the details concerning the Breeze as it will be available as an iPad app as of September 2010 which is not far away at all!

Keep in mind that the reason most people use banking services offered online and through mobile devices is convenience. For instance, business owners or executives who travel can gain access to business accounts anytime day or night and from any country or individual accountholders could handle a bank transaction while vacation on a tropical island. This means that every feature associated with the Standard Chartered Breeze platform has been carefully designed to meet the customer’s wish.

Breeze offers you the opportunity to customise the icons to make them suit your preferences. It comes with a handy wish list functions to help you plan for the things you want most to save for. The wish list also offers a rainy day feature that prepares you financially for emergencies that could crop up. It is also in plain language and has an intuitive interface that is as customer friendly as it could be. For example, it has a See, Move and Manage Your Money section that makes keeping track of your money and managing it the easiest thing in the world.

If you have just started banking online recently then the introduction of Breeze will improve your banking experience 100 percent. In fact once you start using Breeze you will never want to go back to banking any other way or with any other financial institution.

It cannot be emphasized enough that Breeze was created with the customers and users in mind. It takes your greatest needs in terms of banking and makes them a reality. You will not have to endure any more frustration when you use Breeze by the Standard Chartered Bank.

Breeze has an intuitive user friendly and user savvy interface as well as providing you with the unique ability to customise the icons as you see fit. What other banking application can say as much? Breeze is the bomb and it will be on the market very soon!

Banking Jobs in Delhi

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Delhi being the capital of the country, shares the major part of the financial sector of the country with King of Stock exchange market, Mumbai. The development and the growth of the country, is mostly in the hands of the people doing jobs in banking and finance sector, all over the world. The growth of the country is directly proportional to its monitory funds and the financial status of the country. Just like, in a house, if the finances are going well, the whole system is well managed, and simultaneously corresponds to a smooth livelihood.

Increase in population, larger people applying for jobs, expanding job market, and further increase in the finances of the organisations, has lead to a growth in banking Jobs in Delhi. If we see, there have a number of new banks and branches been opened in and around the city, in past few years, or we can say the banking sector has reached new heights in the recent times. Due to increasing demand of the jobs in banking sector, many people are applying for the same.

The two levels on which one can apply for Jobs in banks are clerical and officer level jobs. Selection and recruitment procedures for these jobs, vary according to the standards of the bank, whether its private, government, national or international. There are different examinations conducted for jobs in government banking sector. The biggest financial controller of the country Reserve Bank of India, which design the policies and norms for all the monetary firms in the country, conducts examination for three entry levels- Clerical level and Grade A and Grade B officers.

Also, an all India examination is taken for the post of class 1 officers, for which the requirements and qualifications vary according to national or international banks. These candidates are assessed on the basis of their mathematical, logical and analytical skills, through a written test examination, which is the first phase of entrance in the banking jobs, followed by subjective tests on English, grammar and communications skills, and last is the exam on social and economic problems in the country. An interview is organised for all those candidates, who clears the written examination, and assign the interview, which is the hardest nut to crack, the candidate gets eligible for the banking job.

Entry is what one looks for banking jobs, after which experience and performance helps the employee to grow in his job. Different positions in which one can do jobs in Banking are:

1.)Financial Managers

2.)Bank Tellers

3.)Bill and account collectors

4.)Loan officers

5.)Financial service representatives

6.)Clerks for accounting and book keeping

7.)Customer service

As discussed earlier, a number of banks and financial organisations have got open in the country which is responsible for its growth. Some of the banks in Delhi, in which one can try his luck, are:

1.)State Bank of India 2.)Punjab national bank 3.)HDFC Bank 4.)Central bank of India 5.)Bank of Baroda 6.)ICICI Bank 7.)Bank of India 8.)Canara Bank 9.)Syndicate Bank 10.) HSBC Bank 11.) UCO Bank 12.) Allahabad Bank

These are few of the job destinations; one can try, after he is through with his educational qualifications in the commerce and maths. Also, a masters degree in management is given preference in banking jobs, due to the fact that a lot of managerial role is involved in the job profile. Some of the qualities one must instil before applying for a job in banking sector are:

1.)An ability to maintain the records and account details. 2.)Capability to learn and grasp new things every time. 3.)An eye for the latest up gradations and policies made in the banking and finance sector. 4.)Team leader and ability to motivate and encourage his team members to perform well. 5.)An analytical and logical approach towards matters.

Keeping all these points in mind, one can prove to perform quite well in his job responsibilities in the banking sector.

Gurleen writes on behalf of Naukri.com, the no.1 job portal in India.She writes on topics like Banking Jobs, relieving job stress and increasing work concentration. Naukri.com is a recruitment platform & provides products and services.

Banking At The Doorstep The Business Correspondent (bc) Model

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Business Correspondent Model is very interesting .Let me start from the basics of BC. Business Correspondent (BC) is an intermediary between the customer and the bank and is a full-service outlet that does not provide as expansive a financial offering as mainstream banks do, but sell all their products (saving accounts, deposits, loans, remittances and insurance products).

FINO has proudly led the approach of making BC services available in India. When FINO began its journey in 2006, its envisaged role was to provide financial inclusion technology to regional entities like MFIs/LFIs. We had thought that these entities would provide a new dimension to the Indian banking system by acting as BCs for regulated financial entities. Surprisingly this did not happen due to myriad reasons, consequent of which FINO transformed its role from a technology provider to a BC – a type of branchless banking wherein the agents appointed by the BCs themselves reach out to the customers. We provide Banking at the Doorstep. When we talk about innovation, the BC model seems to be an innovation in itself.

Today FINO is the largest BC in India with over 5,000 physical points (Bandhus) all across the country. We have a presence at a lot of places

FINO realizes that Bandhus are a very critical part of the delivery chain and customer experience. Hence FINO invests aggressively in their training, insurance benefits and having a code of conduct for them to ensure lower risk and better customer experience.

An innovative technology highway has been laid out by FINO in this very short span of time which has improved the efficacy, coverage and reach of the BC model and financial inclusion in general, in the remotest nook and corners of India.

The Challenges of Banking Outsourcing

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Banking has been a very traditional and conservative sector in any country. For ages, generations after generations, have been loyal to a particular bank that their families have been associated with. Whether it is the Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds TSB in the UK or American Express and Capital One in the US, people stay loyal to their banking partners.

The banking industry in the west took a huge risk in the last decade by using countries like India, China and the Philippines to outsource their banking and financial services. For banks, it was a step in the right direction to reduce the number of customers walking into their branches, the number of calls taken by banking executives at the branch and reduce the work load on their existing call centres.

They wanted to reduce costs of employing more people to cater to their ever increasing base of customers and provide better services to their customers besides gaining a competitive edge. For customers who have been used to traditional methods of banking such as visiting their nearest branch, were exposed to new and state of the art technologies. IT and IT enabled banking services were the new age success mantra for most banks in Europe and the Americas.

The focus of banks that outsourced parts of their business to other countries was to reduce costs and increase profits. Though their approach was cautious, there were loop holes in their strategy. AMEX was one of the first banks to set shop in India in the late 90s. Theirs was a captive centre. However over the years, more and more BPOs have shown their capability in handling banking and financial services with greater efficiency and effectiveness.

For customers of these banks, the challenge was conquering their fears of a stranger in a distant country having access to their account information and the mistrust in their ability to provide solutions. Besides, there were language and accent issues.

Some customers generally called their banks and surpassed the IVR to speak to an agent as they were not very comfortable dealing with a machine and others demanded speaking to their branch in their own country. Such issues lead to delays in service. This led to dissatisfaction amongst customers and forced many to choose banks that hadnt outsourced their work and catered to their needs from within the country.

Data security was also one the major concerns for banks. More than customers, banks have found themselves living on the edge with account details made accessible to BPOs in other countries. With data theft being a reality in countries like India, China and Japan, it was a proven fact that banking outsourcing wasnt foolproof.

For banks it may result in large law suits and a decrease in their customer base. Banks also had their reputation at stake. The third party vendors may follow practices that may be inconsistent with the policies and practices of the bank. Besides the political, social, legal and physical climate of the outsourcing country may impact banking services.