Innovative Banking

Innovation means something new or something which had not been done before. The same goes for banking section as well. There are many sections in banks which are going through or have gone through innovation in recent past. They are no longer restricted to age-old (traditional) methods. Thus, to increase the business avenues and capture the new market banks are resorting to innovation. This term innovative banking is being in use a lot nowadays.

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.

 Learn more about History of Banking in India And World here

Retail and Wholesale Banking

Like other businesses, the banking sector to has evolved into retail and wholesale banking and it is also one of the parts of innovative banking.

Here, retail banking refers to the banking in which the transactions which are done daily by the banks are executed with consumers.

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
• Fund based services
• Non-fund related services
• Internet banking
• Multinational and offshore banking

Multinational banking is the banks that are present in more than one country. The main services are available in more than one country in these services. Thus, these banks are also called international banks.

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.

Practice Questions on Innovative Banking

Q. Out of the following, which was the first bank to start internet banking?

A. Axis bank                 B. Bank of Baroda               C. HDFC                  D. ICICI bank

Answer: D. ICICI bank