SBI to extend ATM services to Visa and MasterCard clients
By Our Banking Bureau | 06 Aug 2003
Mumbai:
The State Bank group plans to throw open its ATM switch
to other banks in a couple of months' time, after uplinking
its connectivity to the Visa International network. The
bank already has connectivity with the MasterCard International
network.
"With this, both domestic customers of any bank and foreign travellers who use credit cards, debit cards, smart cards or ATM cards on the Visa or MasterCard platform will be able to access any State Bank ATM for cash withdrawals or balance enquiries," says an SBI official.
Currently,
SBI and associates have the largest integrated ATM network
in India, totalling 1,800, to which another 1,200 ATMs
will be added by the end of this fiscal.
According to the bank official, SBI credit cardholders can now withdraw cash up to Rs 10,000 from the ATM itself, where earlier they were required to come to a branch for such withdrawals.
The
State Bank group is also in the process of inking agreements
with HPCL and BPCL for locating ATMs in petrol pumps across
the country. Currently, the bank is examining 1,000 locations
for this purpose.