In their effort to fulfil their crucial role as providers of banking service in the remotest areas of the country, and in order to be in consonance with the prevailing systems and processes in banking in the country, district central cooperative banks – DCCBs – have been making efforts to induct technology in their operations. In a significant effort, all of them have completed core banking solution (CBS) implementation and most of them are now in the process of adopting digitization so that they can offer services like internet banking, mobile banking, instant fund transfer and eCommerce. However, many of them are facing resource constraints to take up digitization in a big way. They also do not have the management bandwidth to implement services like internet banking and mobile banking solutions. As such, they expect that NABARD should make funds available for digitization in the same way it did for implementation of CBS in these banks.
Banking Frontiers June issue cover story highlights how Sindhudurg DCCB is one DCCB that has a very definite plan to take up digitization. In fact, the bank realized that a functional website is a pre-requisite to provide a better experience for its customers and that the internal communication between the bank’s staff across multiple branches and the head office is also crucial. Connectivity too was an issue as it was not able to connect the head office with the branches and ATMs. The bank, with the help of its technology service provider, developed a website as per its requirements and made it a practice to publicize the necessary updations about its latest schemes and offerings on the website. The service provider also offered an email hosting solution with 500 email IDs and gave an option to add to the capacity based on the bank’s requirements. The bank implemented an infrastructure management software to monitor the network as well as the data center.
According to chairman of the bank Satish J. Sawant, the bank today offers various technology-based banking products and services like NEFT and RTGS, IMPS, a mobile app, POS and QR Code, NACH-DBT, microATM and email statement, etc to its customers. He feels digitization can bring in benefits to the bank from the bank’s customers like small merchants, farmers, export-oriented small scale units and salaried class.
