Change perception of SBI as bank for older generation, staffers told

State Bank of India (SBI) chairperson Arundhati Bhattacharya, on Tuesday, urged employees to change the way the bank is perceived - as one for the older generation.

She was addressing the gathering after inaugurating the Gram Ujwal project, under which SBI has installed over 1,000 solar lamps in 212 villages across Karnataka at a cost of Rs 1 crore, in association with renewable energy firm UV Green.

Arundhati said, “We are celebrating 210 years of existence.Even today, our bank is perceived as being for the older generation, that cannot be the case. We have products meant for the younger generation too. But how much are we delivering to them? Our bank is excellent, but in patches. That excellence is not uniform.”

SBI has its roots in the Bank of Calcutta, which came into existence in June 1806. Thus, SBI completes 210 years, she said. “Our Internet products are by far the best in the market. Believe me, my friends from Citibank and Deutsche Bank tell me that they use SBI digital products along with their own bank products, because they can’t give up their own bank,” Arundhati said.

“By December, we will bring in more products related to the Internet. By mere interaction, you will be able to perform transactions. For instance, say ‘please pay my bill’ and it will do so. We are going to bring in real cutting-edge products,” Arundhati said.

Recollecting an experience at the specialised premier banking branch, she said, “An old customer informed me that the branch people taught him how to use the Internet. It helps him do transactions from home and avoid traffic.”

“If each employee promises to spend one hour every day with one customer, teaching them how to use the Internet, imagine the number of satisfied customers you would have by the end of the year,” she said.