ICICI Bank Organized MSME Conclave in Jaipur

ICICI Bank Limited organised a conclave for MSMEs in the city yesterday. This is part of a countrywide series being organised by the Bank in a bid to reach out to the MSME (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) industry. The conclave aims to discuss emerging opportunities in the economy and role of digital banking to enhance ease of doing business for MSMEs.

Organised in collaboration with acclaimed industry associations such as ‘Jewellers Association’, ‘Sitapura Industries Association’, ‘Vishwakarma Industries Association, Jaipur’ and ‘Garment Exporters Association of Rajasthan’ along with ‘Software Technology Parks of India (STPI)’, the conclave saw participation from around 200 leading promoters and CFOs from various industries based out of Jaipur.

Mr. Pramod Kishore Pradhan, General Manager, Financial Inclusion & Development Department, Reserve Bank of India, Jaipur also graced the occasion and addressed the audience.

Mr. Pankaj Gadgil, General Manager, Head of Business Banking, ICICI Bank said, “We at ICICI Bank, recognize the importance of inclusive growth for the MSME companies. It has always been our endeavour to give a boost to the MSME industry as we believe that it is the backbone of the Indian economy. Our focus is on consistently delivering innovative forex and digital solutions to the MSME industry that in turn offer them with an enhanced ease of doing business and greater opportunities for business expansion. The MSME Conclave at Jaipur resonates our effort in offering solutions that cater to all business needs of MSME enterprises. We are delighted to be engaging with industry leaders and highlighting our digital banking services that are innovative, at the fastest possible speed and provide the highest level of convenience to our customers.“

The conclave saw an engaged panel discussion with experts from industry associations, leading industrialists of the city along with top executives of ICICI Bank. Broadly, topics covered in the panel discussion included emerging opportunities and challenges faced by MSMEs, future course of forex market and requirement of digital banking platforms for MSMEs.

Panelists comprised of representatives from the industry associations in the city, including Mr. Rajiv Dewan, President, Garment Export Association, Rajasthan; Mr. Sanjay Kala, President, Jewellers Association, Jaipur; Mr. Sanjeev Gupta, President, Sitapura Industries Association, Jaipur; Mr. Avadhesh Srivastava, Additional Director & Officer-in-Charge, Software Technology Parks of India and Mr. Samir Agarwal from Vishwakarma Industries Association, Jaipur along with ICICI Bank officials.

The Bank’s executives also showcased an array of digital banking facilities that have been exclusively crafted for the MSME segment. The Bank is first in the country to have introduced a multitude of digital innovations for MSMEs, which provides them with a state-of-the-art digital facilities right from the stage of initiation till maturity.

These key tailor-made products and services for MSME businesses include:

• Digital opening of current account in a few hours: India’s first digital application form for opening current accounts that enables account opening in a few hours using tablets and smartphones. The facility enhances convenience as it captures information about the customer and the business digitally, and verifies KYC documents in real-time, at the premise of the customer
• Fully digital platform for export import transactions: The Bank has introduced the ‘Trade Online’, a fully digital platform that enables MSMEs to undertake a majority of their export-import transactions completely online, without visiting the branch. Additionally, the Bank has launched an online inward settlement facility using which, exporters can give instructions to settle their inward remittances from the Bank’s internet banking platform itself
• Mobile app for collecting payments from customers: The Bank introduced ‘Eazypay’- the country’s first mobile app for merchants, professionals and traders among others that enables them to accept payments through multiple digital modes
• Connected Banking: ICICI Bank has partnered with several ERP service providers with a view to bring in the concept of ‘Connected Banking’ for MSMEs.  These partnerships resonate the Bank’s efforts at co-creating solutions that amalgamate services like banking, accounting and reconciliation on a single platform
• Quick working capital facilities: The Bank has recently introduced a slew of innovative services such as instant overdraft facility of upto Rs. 15 lakh as well as business loans based on GST returns for its MSME customers. These propositions have been specifically designed to enable MSMEs fulfill their working capital requirements

The Bank’s techno savvy services like 24X7 available cash acceptance machines and cash management solutions were also discussed in detail at the event. ICICI Bank has 455 branches and 672 ATMs in Rajasthan, creating the largest network of any private sector bank in the state.