SBI has decided to open 2 hi-tech SBI Intouch branches, called digital stores, in Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam during the next financial year, according to C.R Sasikumar, the Chief General Manager, Hyderabad.
He was speaking to reporters here on Monday after opening a retail branch at Balayya Sastry Layout, the seventy-fifth, in the city. He said such digital branches had been opened in July 2014, in Mumbai, New Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai and Ahmedabad as part of SBI’s new initiatives to attract youngsters and tech-savvy people.
"As Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam are the two major cities in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, we are setting them up in the two cities," he said.
He said the bank was trying for suitable places like malls to locate the branches. "The 24x7 branches will have executives to guide the customers in opening bank accounts, getting ATM cards, investing in various products and taking a printout of passbooks and other activities. They will also have video interface and wide array of machines at zones named Smart Table, Online Booth, Dream Zone, Expert Pod and Express Banking," he said.
He said the bank would also focus on opening more number of e-Corners – ATMs with banking facilities - in branches. "Twentythree e-Corners have already been opened in AP and Telangana branches. The number will cross 100 next year," he said.
He said the SBI which has 3,800 ATMs across both the States will also see a major change with the installation of 400 plus new ATMs with single machines for cash deposits and withdrawal instead of separate machines. The old machines will also be replaced in phases.
Sasikumar said the priority was now to increase mobile banking which is now being used by two per cent of the customers.
sarma.rs@thehindu.co.in
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