Nov 13

If technological revolution is at its peak, One of the notable sectors of the economy where technology is at it helm of affairs with respect to customer service is BANKING. Over the years has banking transcended from a traditional brick-and mortar model of customers queuing for services in the banks to modern day banking where banks can reach at any point for their services. In today’s business, technology has been on the predominant indicators of growth and competitiveness. Entry of new banks resulted in a paradigm shift in the ways of banking. The banking industry today is in the midst of an IT revolution. The combination of regulatory and competitive reasons have led to increasing importance of total banking automation in the banking Industry. . Information Technology has basically been used under two different avenues in banking. One is Communication and Connectivity and other is Business Process Reengineering, both basically focusing on increasing its customer reach. Information technology enables sophisticated product development, better market infrastructure, implementation of reliable techniques for control of risks and helps the financial intermediaries to reach geographically distant and diversified markets The latest revolution seems to happen with respect to mobile banking an attempt to leverage on the synergies of mobile banking technology in telecom and information technology in the banking services.Today, Banks have welcomed wireless and mobile technology into their boardroom to offer their customers the freedom of paying bills, planning payments while stuck in traffic jams, to receive updates on the various marketing efforts while present at a party to provide more personal and intimate relationships. Mobile banking can be classified as Push vs. Pull and Transaction vs. Enquiry that is briefly given below:

o Push Based

o Pull Based

o Transaction

Some of the other features where mobile banking has lent its hand are Fund Transfer & Bill Payment where the customers have the freedom of maintaining account through mobile. Mobile banking has also welcomed other financial services likeshare trading. The latest Information technology revolution enables sophisticated Enquiry Based banking services for Credit/Debit Alerts.

Some of the other outcomes of the Revolution in the banking industry are Minimum Balance Alerts, Account Balance Enquiry, Account Statement Enquiry, Cheque Status Enquiry, Cheque Book Requests and Bill Payment Alerts. The last time that technology had a major impact in helping banks service their customers was with the introduction of the Internet banking. However the biggest limitation of Internet banking is the requirement of a PC with an Internet connection, not a big obstacle if we look at the US and the European countries, but definitely a big barrier if we consider most of the developing countries of Asia like China and India. Mobile banking addresses this fundamental limitation of Internet banking, as it reduces the customer

Requirement to just a mobile phone. Mobile usage has seen an explosive growth in most of the Asian economies like India, China and Korea. The main reason that Mobile banking scores over Internet banking is that it enables ‘Anywhere Banking’. Customers now don’t need access to a computer terminal to access their banks, they can now do so on the go – when they are waiting for their bus to work, when they are traveling or when they are waiting for their orders to come through in a restaurant.The scale at which Mobile banking has the potential to grow can be gauged by looking at the pace users are getting mobile in these big Asian economies.

Revolution of Mobile phones in banking services:

According to the Cellular Operators’Association of India (COAI) the mobile subscriber base in India crossed the 50 million mark in October 2005, which stood at 50.87 million. The explosion as most analysts say, the worldwide number of cellular subscribers will surpass 2 billion in 2005—up from 11M in 1990 and 750M in 2000. Worldwide cellular subscribers are forecasted to reach 3.2B by the end of 2010.Among the leaders in mobile technologies, most aggressive being Korea which is now witnessing the roll-out of some of the most advanced services using 3G technologies, like using mobile phones to pay bills in shops and restaurants. The growth of mobile technology over the last few years has enriched the progress of the mobile banking services. Technologies like IVR, SMS, WAP, J2ME, and J2EE & BREW have revolutionized the use the mobile phones in banking services. Though all the above predictions on cellular base, the Use of mobile technology with respect to banking services is at a very infant stage.

There are a lot of challenges and issues relating to content, security, coverage, technology and connectivity speed are to be sorted out with respect to mobile banking technologies.

Objectives of the Report:

1. To study the technological readiness in relation to the challenges faced by the players particularly the banks with respect to mobile banking in order to enhance global competitiveness by embracing technology and banking services.

2. To study and awareness, expectation and acceptance levels of the

Customers with respect to its use and effectiveness

o2 mobile phones

Ian Ball is an expert on the telecomms industry

Nov 13

Are you looking for a personal offshore bank account. Maybe you are looking for a corporate offshore bank account. Generally speaking, any bank account opened outside of one’s native country can be considered an offshore bank account. The appeal of an offshore bank account is much more apparent during tax time, when assets and income must be reported to the IRS or other government revenue agencies abroad. This is why some companies and wealthier individuals prefer to open an offshore bank account in small sovereign states which allow account holders to remain virtually anonymous. For many years, an offshore bank account was indeed a convenient way to hide profits from illegal activities or underreported business earnings. Many people consider opening an offshore bank account for very legitimate financial reasons.

Bank

There is usually not much difference in service or benefits between the bank on the corner and a bank located in the Cayman Islands. These banks which are well established institutions offer an online corporate offshore bank account, with offshore credit card or debit card, and which can be operated via the internet, fax or phone. All bank accounts can be opened via courier post. None of the shelf offshore corporations have ever been in use or ever held a bank account.

Account

These banks which are well established institutions offer an online corporate offshore bank account, with offshore credit card or debit card, and which can be operated via the internet, fax or phone. The offshore banks were not obligated to report the existence of these accounts, and the account holders could legally pay little to no taxes to the host country. In recent years, however, the rules governing an offshore bank account have become much stiffer. Any bank account containing over $1,000 USD must be reported as income to the IRS, even if that bank account is in the Cayman Islands or Ireland. This is why some companies and wealthier individuals prefer to open an offshore bank account in small sovereign states which allow account holders to remain virtually anonymous.

Panama

One of the greatest advantages of having an offshore bank account in a favorable jurisdiction like Panama is that no one needs to know it exists. With a Panama bearer share corporation, wires moving through the wire system are not associated with any natural persons for more privacy. There is no capital gains tax in Panama on stock market trading gains making Panama a superb offshore stock brokerage jurisdiction. Bearer Share Corporations (Sociedad Anonima) Asset Protection with a full range of effective strategies including Panama Foundations and Corporations Providing corporate nominee directors and resident agent Offshore Bank Accounts in Panama with online banking Anonymous ownership of real estate anywhere Anonymous ownership of boats and planes anywhere Real Estate Investment (Panama real estate appreciating 58% per annum) Panama Passport Program Panama Residency, Citizenship, Visas Stock Trading Accounts in Panama with secrecy Offshore Visa, MasterCard from Panama Bank and other countries Offshore Merchant Accounts for high risk or low risk accounts. Bank secrecy laws in Panama call for prison sentences and/or fines for any bank employee, officer or owner who divulges any information about a bank account or account holder(s). The only way the bank can legally divulge any information about you or any bank account associated with you is by court order from a court in Panama.

Banking

It is important that the proper jurisdiction be selected when deciding which jurisdiction to use as an offshore banking jurisdiction. It may also be far more appropriate for an individual to consider structuring their offshore banking affairs through an offshore company so that they can gain greater confidentiality in their banking affairs. Offshore banking accounts are generally opened under the name of offshore companies or corporations. Offshore banking accounts need to be opened with an initial deposit to activate your account.

Tax

Companies incorporated in the Great Britain must pay tax on their worldwide income regardless of the country in which this income is generated. With the exception of charitable companies, there are no tax-exempt companies in the United Kingdom. Offshore companies or offshore trusts are not the illicit hideaways from tax authorities as sometimes presented. The tax-free status of the jurisdiction being used is always a major consideration. When selecting an offshore jurisdiction for your foundation one must take into account the following: freedom from taxes including inheritance taxation, anonymity of the foundation, ease of passing assets to beneficiaries, ease of operation and reasonable cost. Our overriding aim is to minimise your tax liabilities whilst maximising your company’s income.

Companies

As more and more people worldwide discover the risk-free benefits of placing their business and personal financial-affairs well away from their own countries, offshore companies are being created on their behalf at a rate of over 150,000 per year. Many owners of offshore companies tend to operate the companies directly by themselves. It is absolutely critical that any client seek the information necessary to make a strong decision when opening an offshore account and forming offshore companies. Offshore banking accounts are generally opened under the name of offshore companies or corporations. To assure complete privacy, the shares of International Companies are often held by a discretionary trust.

Offshore banking has been routinely and legally used for many years by individuals and organizations worldwide. As with any type of bank account you have a choice when it comes to determining which offshore bank account best suits your needs and requirements. An offshore bank account will allow you to safely and privately explore, with few restrictions, the far reaches of the vast and diverse financial universe; from the bond markets of Korea to the stock exchanges of Eastern Europe; from ultra-private Liechtenstein trust arrangements to the most successful funds; from unique commodity investments to Caribbean corporations; from Israeli nanotech start-ups to age-old European blue-chips; from the mysterious and secretive world of offshore mutual funds to tax-free Swiss gold accounts; from Isle of Man Insurance contracts to Danish multi-currency investment accounts; from uniquely structured tax-free Austrian funds to Bulgarian mortgages; and much more beyond.

To learn more about the Offshore Bank Account and other Offshore Banking issues, visit Offshore Legal

Nov 13

Banking definitions to know in a society that needs money to purchase many of the necessities of life, banking is a very important business. It primarily deals with finances and all the instruments related to credit so it is important to know the important banking definitions. Banks are the financial institutions that act as the instrument in transferring monetary values from a customer to a seller, merchant, or to another individual.

We see a lot of banks and sometimes we may wonder what they have in common and how do they differ from each other. Banks have been differentiated according to their primary functions, the primary functions being acceptance of deposits and loans. The deposits are open to withdrawal and transfer via checks.

What are the activities in the bank?

* As a payment agent, the banks provide checking accounts that customers use to pay checks. There are also other means to pay like the telegraphic transfer, the automated teller machines or ATM, or the EFTPOS (Electronic Funds Transfer at Point of Sale).

* Issuance of debt securities like banknotes, promissory notes, and bonds when banks borrow money from current account deposits.

* Issuance of bank drafts and bank checks

* Lending of money to customers through mortgages or loans

* Provide letters of credit, guarantees, and performances bonds

* Acceptance of documents and other items for safekeeping in safety deposit boxes

* Payment services that cater to government, businesses, individuals who prefer to transact through the bank instead of non-bank remittance services.

* Foreign currency exchange

* Inter-bank clearing and settlement of payments regardless of geographical locations

* Intermediation for credit

Banking is a process that involves a bank and its customer. The bank has been defined previously. The bank’s customer is that individual who keeps an account in the bank and agrees to be covered with the laws that govern banking.

The government regulates most commercial banks and they need a license to operate. In order to get a bank license there are requirements like minimum capital, minimum capital ratio, fit-and-proper qualifications for the owners, and board of directors, and the approved business plan. There are some financial entities that are exempted from licensing (some partly, some fully) like the credit unions.

What are the types of banks?

Since we’re talking about banking definitions, we might as well define the types of banks, there are many and certain banks specialize in specific areas.

Retail Banks are banks that deal directly with the individuals or small businesses. There are different banks under this type:

* Commercial bank

Commercial banks have a variety of services aside from deposits and loans. The banks that fall under this category are the national banks, trust companies, stock savings banks, and industrial banks. Aside from the primary functions, they also handle investments and many facets of savings like time deposits.

* Community bank and Community development banks

These are financial institutions that are operated locally. They are regulated to provide services and credit within their local jurisdiction, therefore catering to underserved customers.

* Savings bank

PART 2 – For part two of this article, head on to Banking Definitions or to learn about other online banks visit http://www.onlinebankingmart.com/ – A popular banking website that provides you with inside information on all the major banks.

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