MUMBAI: State Bank of India (SBI) has halved cash withdrawal limit on its ATM cards ahead of the festival season citing fraud precaution as a reason. The existing daily cash withdrawal limit of Rs 40,000 under the bank’s classic and maestro cards have been reduced to Rs 20,000.

“In view of the increase in number of complaints received by the Bank around fraudulent transactions at ATMs, and to encourage digital/cashless transactions, it has been decided to decrease the cash withdrawal limits of Debit Cards,” the bank said in a statement.

SBI has asked all branches to inform customers of the changes as under the Banking Codes & Standard Board of India guidelines, at least 30 days notice has to be given to the customers for any change in terms and conditions or charges. According to banking sources, SBI’s move to cut withdrawal limits will ease the burden on its cash logistics. In recent months banks are facing several new challenges in managing their cash logistics. The new series of 100 rupee notes requires the bank to recalibrate all its ATMs.

In addition the central bank has come out with new guidelines on cash logistics requiring banks to use the cassette swap system for loading ATMs so that cash logistic companies do not need to handle cash.

Although SBI has 59,598 ATMs – the largest network in the country – it is also the largest issuer of debit cards with 28.90 crore ATM cards in circulation. The bank has nearly 4,849 debit cards issued as against every ATM it has which is higher than 3,000 cards per ATM for ICICI Bank or the average of 4469 for the industry.

Courtesy: timesofindia

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Washington (PTI): President Donald Trump on Tuesday said NATO and most of US' other allies have rejected his calls to help secure the Strait of Hormuz as the war with Iran entered the third week.

In a social media post, Trump asserted that Iran’s military has been “decimated” and he no longer felt the need for assistance from NATO countries or anyone else.

Last week, Trump had sought help from European nations and others who depend on oil supplies transiting from the Hormuz Strait to safeguard the critical waterway.

“The United States has been informed by most of our NATO “Allies” that they don’t want to get involved with our Military Operation against the Terrorist Regime of Iran, in the Middle East, this, despite the fact that almost every Country strongly agreed with what we are doing, and that Iran cannot, in any way, shape, or form, be allowed to have a Nuclear Weapon,” the US President said in a post on Truth Social.

Iran's attacks on Gulf nations and its grip on the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's oil is transported, have sparked increasing concerns of a global energy crisis and are unnerving the world economy.

“I am not surprised by their action, however, because I always considered NATO, where we spend Hundreds of Billions of Dollars per year protecting these same Countries, to be a one-way street — We will protect them, but they will do nothing for us, in particular, in a time of need,” Trump said.

He said Australia, Japan and South Korea too have turned down his call for help.

“Fortunately, we have decimated Iran’s Military – Their Navy is gone, their Air Force is gone, their Anti-Aircraft and Radar is gone and perhaps, most importantly, their Leaders, at virtually every level, are gone, never to threaten us, our Middle Eastern Allies, or the World, again,” Trump said.

He said that given the scale of recent military successes, the US no longer "need" or desires assistance from NATO countries, adding that it never relied on such support in the first place.

Speaking as President of the United States, the "most powerful" country in the world, "we do not need" help from anyone, Trump said.

The West Asia conflict began on February 28 when the US-Israeli combine conducted airstrikes on Iran.

The Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway that connects the Persian Gulf to the open ocean, has effectively been shut following the US and Israel attack on Iran and Tehran's sweeping retaliation.

However, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had said that from Tehran's "perspective", the strait is "open". "It is only closed to Iran's enemies, to those who carried out unjust aggression against our country and to their allies.”

Earlier in the day, a second Indian-flagged LPG tanker, Nanda Devi, reached the country after safely sailing from the war-hit Strait of Hormuz. On Monday, the first ship, Shivalik, reached Mundra port in Gujarat.

As of now, 22 Indian vessels remain on the west side and two on the east side of the strait.

Indian authorities are in constant touch with all the relevant stakeholders in the region to secure the safe passage of the remaining ships, officials said.