Indian banks cash in on delivery channels
From the staid over-the-counter delivery mode to ATMs, tele banking, Net banking, and now mobile banking—the number of delivery channels deployed by banks has increased by leaps and bounds. Srikanth R P & Chitra Padmanabhan look at the evolution and impact of various delivery channels in the Indian banking scenario and forecast which delivery channel could be the next killer app for banking players

Right-Channelling financial transactions
In a recent study covering financial services firms and consumers in North America, Forrester Research found that getting consumers to use the right channels for transactions and interactions—what it calls right-channelling—will deliver superior experiences, retain customers, and lower costs. We present some of the highlights of the study, the conclusions of which apply to the maturing Indian banking and financial servcies segment too

Transforming risks into rewards
Deregulation, consolidation and increased competitiveness have brought new challenges for banks—in particular, risk management—to the forefront, says Gourish Hosangady

Strategies for Indian banking software players
Banking software players run the gamut from those providing core and Net banking to those who offer middleware or work with central banks. Akhtar Pasha and Prashant L Rao find banking software players forming alliances in their pursuit of customers—both at home and abroad

Security matters, but there’s a long way to go
As the world increasingly becomes an unsafe place to live in, banks are facing the brunt of security fears. To find out just where information security stood in the Indian banking landscape, the CII-PricewaterhouseCoopers Information Systems Security Survey 2002-03 undertook specific analyses of the financial services sector, besides Indian industry as a whole. In this article, PricewaterhouseCoopers details for Express Computer the most important parts of the survey

Can Indian banks re-invent themselves by outsourcing?
Outsourcing is one of the biggest buzzwords in business, and banks are not immune to its charms either. However, with banks handling sensitive financial issues, outsourcing is not that easy in this sector. Shipra Arora finds out what the ground realities are, and where outsourcing in the banking sector is headed

> Case Study
PNB banks on IT to improve services
Public sector banks are trying to compete with private banks to offer better services, and automation is their best bet. Gaurav Patra profiles Punjab National Bank, a 107-year-old bank, which has taken major steps towards technology upgradation