HDFC eyes mobile banking

, HDFC Bank is planning to increase the penetration of mobile banking services in the Andhra Pradesh province in India. The bank aims to achieve this once 3G services commence fully in the state, reports the Rupee Times.

"It [mobile banking] is still in the nascent stage. It has to go a long way. After facilities like 3G services are revealed, it is expected to reach 10%. Currently, mobile banking is around 3% to 5%," HDFC Bank senior vice-president, C S Gopinath says.

According to the Business Line, Gopinath says the aim is to encourage customers to go for more technology-based services like ATM, mobile and Internet banking.

He notes that only 26% of HDFC Bank's customers visit branches and the rest depend on ATMs, the Internet and mobiles for their banking needs. “We have 450 to 500 ATMs in AP and up to 20% of customers use Internet banking,” he adds.

He says: "Currently, we have 103 branches in AP. We plan to open another 34 by the end of this financial year, taking the number of branches to 137. In Karnataka, we have close to 100 branches and in Kerala -150. In Tamil Nadu, we have 135 branches," reveals MSN News.