ICICI Bank launches ‘iMobile Pay’
India’s first app that offers payments and banking services for all
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Customers of any bank can link their bank account, generate a UPI ID and start paying and shopping immediately
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They also get instant access to the entire range of ICICI Bank’s banking services
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They can transfer money to any bank account, payment app and digital wallet
Mumbai: ICICI Bank today announced that it has transformed its state-of-the-art mobile banking app, iMobile, into an app that offers payments and banking services to customers of any bank. Called ‘iMobile Pay’, the app offers a unique combination of facilities of a payment app-- such as enabling customers to pay to any UPI (Unified Payments Interface) ID or merchants, pay bills and do online recharges among others-- with instant banking services namely savings account, investments, loans, credit cards, gift cards, travel cards and much more. The users of ‘iMobile Pay’ can also transfer money to any bank account, payment app and digital wallet.
Another prominent feature of ‘iMobile Pay’ is ‘pay to contacts’ which enable users to automatically see the UPI IDs of their phone book contacts, registered on the ICICI Bank UPI ID network, of any payment app and digital wallet. This unique functionality provides users a significant convenience of inter-operability, as they no longer have to remember the UPI IDs and can easily transfer money across payment app and digital wallet.
A first-of-its-kind facility in India, ‘iMobile Pay’ extends the ambit of mobile banking apps which are hitherto restricted to only the customers of the respective banks. At the same time, ‘iMobile Pay’ eliminates the need to maintain multiple apps—be payments or banking—as it empowers customers to undertake all transactions. In the process, it also offers compelling reasons for users to link their multiple bank accounts to this app.
To get started on ‘iMobile Pay’, customers of any bank in the country can download the app, instantly link their bank accounts and generate a UPI ID (which is simply their mobile number e.g. xxxxxx1234.imb@icici) to avail all the facilities.
Speaking on the initiative, Mr. Anup Bagchi, Executive Director, ICICI Bank said, “ICICI Bank has always been at the forefront of introducing pioneering innovations. These innovations have played a key role in transforming the way digital India banks. In line with this rich tradition, we introduced the country’s first mobile banking app, iMobile, in 2008.
In the recent past, we have captured two user insights while interacting with them. One, many of them, who are not our customers, are keen to use iMobile. Two, customers are tired of using multiple apps for difference purposes and they really want to know if an app can take care of all banking and payments requirements. Armed with these insights, we are delighted to extend the ambit of our mobile banking app. Now on, customers of any bank can experience the ease, speed and safety of our mobile banking app. They can link all their bank accounts to this app. It means they can continue to bank with any bank and still use ‘iMobile Pay’ for all their digital transactions. Also, they can undertake all transactions, which they were so far doing through a gamut of payments app, through this app.
We believe that users will like this innovation as it offers them the unique benefit of payment apps and banking apps in one single place.
“ Mr. Dilip Asbe, MD & CEO, NPCI said, “We are delighted to facilitate ICICI Bank in transforming its mobile banking app empowered with UPI and interoperable with all other UPI based payment apps. This is yet another initiative that will inspire the ecosystem to integrate interoperability on digital platforms. UPI is known to provide seamless, secure and convenient payment experience to its users and it is our belief that the large scale adoption of UPI will strengthen the ecosystem and help in achieving the common goal of less- cash society.”
Over the years, marquee research agencies have adjudged iMobile as one of the best banking apps in the world for its large array of services, user-friendly functionalities and intuitive design. For example, iMobile has been rated among top ranking apps for the past five consecutive years by Forrester, a reputed global research firm.
The key features of ‘iMobile Pay’ are:
Open for all: ‘iMobile Pay’ enables customers of all banks to download this app and experience the quick transactions backed by best-in-class security features
Acts like a payments app: It allows customers to scan a QR code of any payments app and send money to any UPI ID, bank account, self. It helps the users to transfer the money instantly to anyone free-of-cost. Further, users can pay using the app at a host of establishments including petrol pumps, grocery stores, restaurants, pharmacies, hospitals, multiplexes and much more. Further, they can transfer money to any bank account, payment app or digital wallet.
As an industry-first, users can simply use the ‘Pay to contact’ feature without remembering UPI IDs of friends. Using the feature, users can send or receive money to/from their phone contacts registered on any other popular payment app and digital wallet with an ICICI Bank UPI ID. The feature, relying on inter-operability, automatically displays upto three UPI IDs available for a contact to which one can pay.
Offers banking services: It also acts as a gateway for the customers to begin a new relationship with ICICI Bank. It allows them to open an ICICI Bank savings account digitally and instantaneously, apply for a credit card at zero joining fee and get instant approval for home/personal/car loans.
Enables users to link multiple bank accounts: Users can transact using any of these linked accounts with a single UPI ID which is generated at the time of linking the first account.
Lot more to be added soon: The list of forthcoming exciting features include users can pay utility bills, recharge mobile phones, check CIBIL score, book travel tickets, buy travel and gift cards, invest in an FD, RD, mutual funds and insurances. They will also get a feature of spends tracker, that will provide an overview of spends, with all transactions are bucketed into specific categories, to help them track their balances.
Here are the simple steps to start using the app:
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Download: Download the app, ‘iMobile Pay’, from Google Play Store, open it and set up a four-digit log-in PIN. Users also have the option of logging in using their fingerprint. Please note that it will soon be available for iOS devices.
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Link account/s: On the welcome screen, tap on ‘link account’ and enter the required details to link the savings account of any bank. Users can also link multiple bank accounts.
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Generate UPI ID: Upon successful linking of the account/s, a UPI ID will be generated, which can be used to start making transactions. The UPI ID generated will remain the same for all the linked bank accounts. Users can simply select the account of their choice, while making a transaction.
To know more on the facility, visit: https://www.icicibank.com/mobile-banking/imobilepay.page; To download the app, visit Google Play Store.
For news and updates, visit www.icicibank.com and follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ICICIBank
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Tata-Airbus helicopter facility shining example of partnership in high-end manufacturing: Rajnath
Kolar (Karnataka) (PTI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said the investment into H-125 helicopter programme is "anticipated" to cross Rs 1000 crore, and create a number of jobs, and called it a "shining example" of mutually beneficial partnership with friendly countries in high-end manufacturing sector.
He was speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the final assembly line of H-125 helicopters here.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron virtually inaugurated the Airbus H125 light utility helicopter Final Assembly Line at Tata‑Airbus' facility at Vemagal Industrial Area in this district from Mumbai.
Singh, accompanied by his French counterpart Catherine Vautrin, congratulated Tata Advanced System and Airbus Helicopters on the inauguration of the project and recalled their earlier association as well.
"This project is a shining example of mutually beneficial partnership with friendly countries in high-end manufacturing sector," Singh said.
"The H-125 program investment is anticipated to exceed Rs 1000 crore and is likely to create direct and indirect employment opportunities for our skilled and hard working younger generation," he said.
Renowned for its exceptional reliability, versatility, and outstanding performance under diverse operating conditions, the H-125 has proven to be one of the most effective and trusted single-engine helicopters globally, he said.
He recalled that Tata Advanced Systems and Airbus had earlier joined hands for a project in Gujarat's Vadodara for the C-295 aircraft, which he described as a symbol of how Tata in particular and India in general can collaborate with international OEMs to contribute to the vision of a stronger India.
The Defence minister said "Make in India" and self-reliance have been the cornerstone of India's economic policy since 2014.
Singh recalled that this policy initiative was launched by PM Modi, under which India is committed to achieving self-reliance in critical technology and the manufacturing of high-end products and equipment through mutually beneficial partnerships.
"For more than a decade, India has been charting industrial development through large-scale infrastructure building, capital infusion in important sectors through a number of incentive schemes on the one hand, and providing a level playing field for facilitating investment on the other," he said.
He added that it has also been the government's focus to support small and medium industries and strengthen the startup ecosystem in particular. Overall, the focus has been on holistic industrial development, which not only caters to domestic demand but also addresses the needs of other countries.
Highlighting reforms in the defence sector, Singh said these measures have augmented the contribution of the private sector in the defence industrial ecosystem.
According to him, historically, Indian defence production was largely public sector-oriented due to requirements of high capital investment and long gestation periods, resulting in the private sector's contribution being far less than desired.
However, with reforms such as the corporatisation of ordnance factories, establishment of defence industrial corridors, and other initiatives to raise the private sector's share in total defence production, it now stands at almost a quarter of the country's total defence production.
Defence exports have also increased manifold, placing India among the top exporters in the world, he said.
Singh said the growth trajectory has given a massive boost to MSMEs and ancillary sectors, which have grown to more than 16,000 in number, with many foreign companies sourcing components from Indian MSMEs.
He invited companies to deepen the partnership through meaningful technology transfer and offer platforms to meet the security needs of other countries as well.
Union Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu, who also attended the event said the H125 final assembly line set up by Tata and Airbus marks a defining moment for India's aerospace sector, calling it "a proud symbol of rising confidence in India's high-precision aerospace capabilities."
He described defence and civil aviation as "two strategic pillars of the Indo-French partnership" and said the new facility would reinforce "a single integrated aerospace ecosystem" by assembling both civil and defence variants.
Noting that India has risen from the 10th to the third largest civil aviation market in just 11 years, Naidu asserted that the country now has "the market, the export potential, the policy ecosystem, the skilled workforce and the strategic global partnerships to emerge as a rotary-wing manufacturing hub".
"The future of rotary aviation in South Asia will be designed, manufactured, certified, maintained and exported from India," he said, adding that the country is "not just flying high, but flying past all horizons" under the Make in India and Viksit Bharat 2047 visions.
Tata Advanced Systems CEO and MD Sukaran Singh said in this facility here, "we will start building helicopters without any government or defense orders."
"However, we will be ready to supply the defense forces as and when they want. The first helicopter will fly out this facility by mid 2027."
