ICICI Bank’s InstaBIZ to boost MSME business in Punjab and Haryana

Chandigarh: ICICI Bank today announced that InstaBIZ aims to help micro, small and medium (MSME) enterprises grow in Punjab and Haryana as the first-of-its-kind app for business banking offers a host of benefits for all, including customers of other banks. The host of benefits being

offered by the new version of InstaBIZ can be put into three categories: i) enhanced banking services for existing customers, ii) a bouquet of banking services to MSMEs, who are customers of other banks, iii) a whole range of value-added services for all. With this, the new version of InstaBIZ, which was unveiled last month, brings forth a significant shift from the existing industry practice where banks offer services only to their customers.

Anyone can simply download the new version of InstaBIZ from Google Play Store or Apple App Store, or at the Bank’s Corporate Internet Banking (CIB) platform. It offers an array of services to help the customers undertake almost all of their business-banking transactions digitally and on the go, thereby helping them to improve efficiency.

In Punjab and Haryana, the MSME business is one of the focus areas of the Bank. It is expanding its customer base in the MSME segment by focusing on micro markets like hosiery, bicycle manufacturing and auto ancillary in Ludhiana; rubber and hand tools in Jalandhar; agriculture commodities in Bathinda, Amritsar and Ferozepur; textile and handloom in Panipat; agriculture equipment in Karnal and Barnala; surgical equipment in Ambala; steel utensils and plywood in Yamunanagar and agricultural commodities mandis in Taraori, Kaithal, Jind, Sirsa and Hisar. The Bank has set up 33 credit processing centers in the state for faster processing of loans to MSME customers. Over the last few years, MSME customers in Punjab and Haryana have frequently used InstaBIZ for financial transactions, availing Insta OD, opening current account, availing merchant solutions and making GST payments among others.

Mr. Pankaj Gadgil, Head - Self Employed Segment, SME & Merchant Ecosystem, ICICI Bank said, “We at ICICI Bank always believe that the MSME segment forms the backbone of the Indian economy. It has been our philosophy to enhance ‘ease of doing business’ for MSMEs and become partners in their growth. The MSME market is estimated to grow at a rapid pace in the coming years. Punjab and Haryana are important states for us and we are pleased to say that we are growing rapidly in these two states. We believe that InstaBIZ will resonate with MSMEs and entrepreneurs in Punjab and Haryana to undertake almost all business-banking transactions digitally and on the go. It brings in unprecedented convenience as it frees up their bandwidth largely, which they can devote to grow their main business. We believe this will make us the ‘bank of choice’ of the MSME segment.”

MSMEs, who are customers of other banks, can avail of a host of services from the Bank’s digital ecosystem by logging in as a ‘Guest’ in the new version of ‘InstaBIZ’. The most important in the list of these services is sanction of instant and paperless overdraft facility up to Rs. 25 lakh. Named ‘InstaOD Plus’, the industry-first proposition enables customers of any bank to avail of an overdraft instantly through a few clicks either on the new version of InstaBIZ or CIB. Customers of ICICI Bank can activate the OD into their current account instantly while customers of other banks can do so after opening of a current account with the Bank digitally through Video KYC.

Another important facility being offered is instant opening of a current account digitally. The end-to-end paperless process leverages the Bank’s advanced APIs that auto fill the account opening form and validate PAN/ Aadhaar number instantly and allows opening of account through Video KYC.

Additionally, to further accelerate growth and efficiency for MSMEs, InstaBIZ now offers a range of value-added services to MSMEs, both customers and non-customers of the Bank. ICICI Bank has tied up with various partners to eliminate the need of MSMEs to coordinate with multiple experts to fulfill their varied requirement.

Through InstaBIZ, merchants, retailers and professionals like doctors and lawyers etc can instantly accept payments through UPI and cards. They can generate QR code and even digitally apply for Point of Sale (POS) device. They can also avail value added services like instant settlement of payments, transform their shops into an online store in just 30 minutes, and apply for a voice-messaging device that confirms the receipt of the payments.

The new version of InstaBIZ offers enhanced services to the existing customers of the Bank. They can now experience seamless onboarding on the Bank’s Trade Online platform for their requirement related to trade and foreign exchange transactions. They can also pay GST easily and digitally, apply for POS device, among others. Armed with robust technology and embedded analytics, the new version of InstaBIZ app gives a variety of reminders based on the customer’s profile. For instance, a customer with propensity to pay GST will get intuitive nudges for GST payments before the last date of payment; an exporter/importer will get a nudge requesting activation of Trade Online; and a merchant will get a pop-up for applying POS device digitally.

The Bank has an extensive footprint in Punjab and Haryana with 530 branches and over 1200 ATMs.