Akash Black Book
Akash Black Book
Akash Black Book
1.1 MEANING
In the second of a two-part series, Global Finance identifies the best corporate/institutional
and consumer Internet banks globally and in six regions.
These are tough times for banks to focus on Internet banking initiatives. The global financial
crisis that wiped out several major banks has also pressured surviving bank IT budgets and
constrained long-term initiatives. However, the Internet innovators, such as the banks honored in
this issue, have developed winning web strategies that integrate the medium into everything they
do.
Leading banks such as Bank of America, Citi, Garanti, HSBC, Standard Chartered and Wells
Fargo are adding new clients from the next generation and in growing markets, building deeper
relationships with existing customers, gathering deposits, generating payment and trading
revenue, and cross-selling products through their Internet initiatives.
They are also still finding big savings from cutting processing and servicing costs. For example,
HSBC recently announced that its $6 billion global initiative to move its far-flung banking
systems, including more than 40 web banking systems, onto one global platform has paid for
itself midway through the effort, scheduled for 2011 completion. Uniting the systems has
allowed HSBC to reduce staffing costs for processing transactions among platforms.
Top online banks are adapting to changing web technology, applications, business models and
competition. They are responding to customers’ evolving, demanding expectations for
customized, data-intensive applications they can access anytime anywhere. For example, Citi—
named overall global winner and best corporate/institutional Internet bank globally and in several
regions—has integrated new mobile Internet banking applications strategically into its
international growth plans. “Citi is committed to providing our customers with solutions that
enable them to interact with their bank wherever they are and however they choose—in person,
online, while in transit or on their mobile phone,” says Deborah Hopkins, chief innovation
officer at Citi. The financial giant formed Mobile Money Ventures with SK Telecom to create a
common, global mobile financial services platform.
Citi says MMV is one of many innovative web initiatives it is launching around the world. Citi is
also introducing products and services for customers who commute via public transit, manage
their money online and are seeking a more convenient retail-branch experience.
Future Concerns
Banks are having to constantly innovate, analysts say, because standing still will lead to losing
business to other banks and non-banks that are giving today’s consumers and business users what
they seek. Many banks have much work left to do in this area. “While consumer expectations
advance at a fast pace, a gap between consumer expectations and bank delivery grows,”
according to a new report from Boston–based research firm Celent. The firm also issued a
similar report about wholesale banking last year. “Without a change in strategy, this delivery gap
will widen and threaten the bottom line,” Celent warns.
Celent defines Web 2.0 as “the tipping point in the evolution of the Internet, where consumer
behavior and its enabling technology emphasize the Internet user experience and capabilities as
engaging, interactive and collaborative.” The firm argues that Web 2.0 represents a vastly
different approach from the Internet’s traditional one-way communication and static,
unconnected data, which is where too many banks’ online initiatives still reside.
Innovative Banking
There are many types of banking facilities that the banks have started in recent years. These are the
following types of innovative banking used by the banks these days:
Mobile Banking
Mobile banking has been a revolution in the past few years. It has completely changed the way
banking systems are working. Thus, it is a system that allows customers to perform many types of
financial related services through a smartphone.
These include services like ATM locations, bill payment alert, inter or intrabank payments, bill
payments, and many more. So, services are available at the fingertips of every person.
Internet Banking
Internet coverage in the last few years has increased drastically. This service is online banking, web
banking, or virtual banking.
Thus, this banking service allows its users to execute and perform any financial transaction or
service with the help of the Internet. The banking facilities are provided traditionally at a local bank
outlet.
This includes bill payments, a deposit of money, borrowing of money, and other services are all
available at one place. This service happens with the use of the Internet facility. In India, ICICI
Bank was the first bank to avail it’s customers the facility of Internet banking.
Thus, this is done instead of transactions with other banks or other corporates. The services under
this are:
Personal loans
Savings accounts
Checking accounts
Debit card
Credit card
Wholesale banking is completely the opposite of retail banking. It refers to the business being
conducted with the business and industrial entities.
Thus, in wholesale banking, trading houses, domestic companies, and multinational companies are
included. So, there are many services which are included in the wholesale banking and these
services are:
Value-added services
Internet banking
The first bank to offer its services outside India was Indian bank in 1946. Currently, Bank of Baroda
has the maximum number of the overseas franchise in India.
While under offshore banking, the banking activities are performed in the currencies that are
different than the currency of the country in which the bank account is opened. The banking
services in these banks remain the same though.
Narrow and Universal Banking
Narrow banking includes keeping together the higher part of deposits in risk-free assets like
government securities. In India, this is basically in performance to reduce the size of the NPAs.
While commercial, investment, insurance, and many other financial activities combine to form
universal banking. Thus, in this practice every product is available.