ICICI 'Mera iMobile' Mobile Banking App Launched for Rural Customers

ICICI Bank on Tuesday announced a new mobile banking app that is aimed at rural customers in an effort to promote rural digitisation. The app, called Mera iMobile, will allow users in rural areas to access banking services as well as information on agri services. The app can also be used by non-ICICI Bank customers as well.

The Mera iMobile app provides around 135 services, available in English and 11 Indian languages including Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, and Telugu. Some of the services that can be availed include Kisan Credit Card, Gold Loan, Farm Equipment Loan and Loans to Self-Help Groups (SHGs). The main aim of these services is to save time and cost to personally visit the branch. Around 14 frequently used banking services can also be accessed without mobile Internet connectivity.

Additionally, the Mera iMobile app is also the first to provide agriculture related information like crop-wise mandi prices of nearly 230 crop varieties across 460 mandis. The app also offers taluka-wise weather updates over 300 districts so that farmers can plan out their sowing and harvesting activities according to the weather.

Chanda Kochhar, MD & CEO, ICICI Bank said, "With the new 'Mera iMobile', we will offer our rural and semi-urban customers a unique and unparalleled experience in their interactions with the bank. 'Mera iMobile' is a result of extensive research and has evolved into the country's first comprehensive offering for rural customers on smartphone with 135 services and in eleven Indian languages. It enables any user, even if they are not ICICI Bank customers, to download the app and get access to agri-related advisory on mandi prices and weather. These aid in saving time and effort of travel to the branch and the mandi for various services. We believe this app will resonate with the needs of the rural customers and aim to have over half a million downloads in the next six months."

Since the app is specifically designed for rural and semi-urban areas, ICICI Bank has made sure that app is lightweight so that it can be downloaded and used even under low Internet speeds. Furthermore, the Bank will introduce 'Wi-Fi enabled posters' across 700 rural and semi-urban branches to help users download the app.

The Mera iMobile app can be downloaded from Google Play store for Android users. The Bank also says that new app is a marked improvement over the SMS Banking services available in feature phones. ICICI Bank says it expects to reach over half a million downloads in the next six months. The Bank also aims to transform 100 villages into 'ICICI Digital Villages' in the coming days to promote India's recent shift towards embracing digital transactions.