SBI to play matchmaker for NRIs, be a florist too

Will also help NRI customers apply for PAN cards, passports.

The country’s largest bank, State Bank of India (SBI), will now play matchmaker to non-resident Indians (NRIs).

The bank has come up with an idea to match profiles for NRI account-holders. It will facilitate exchange of details of NRI account-holders and their families. The onus of background checks, however, will be on the respective families.

Not just this, the Hyderabad headoffice of SBI will also arrange for delivery of flowers, cards, documents, books and medicines.

Once an NRI account-holder sends a requirement through an e-mail or makes a call to the branch where the account is maintained and the service is required, a unique number is generated for the customer. A list of service providers and the cost involved is sent to the customer and a follow-up action is initiated till the delivery of the order.

This is another brainchild of SBI Chief General Manager Shiva Kumar, who has already introduced a Rs 1 account, SMS Unhappy services and a crorepati branch.

“There is a lot of data with the bank. We can run a small programme to get the profiles according to age group, qualification, height and others,” says Shiva Kumar, adding that SBI has been providing these services informally so far. The customers have to pay just the cost of the products.

The bank will also help NRI customers file tax returns, apply for PAN cards, passports, and pay utility bills. It will also offer consultancy on legal matters. On Thursday, it opened an NRI Facilitation Centre at its headoffice here to offer these services. The facilities will be available across the branches in the state.

Shiva Kumar says SBI will launch Vasundara, a woman-first branch, in Hyderabad soon. Fathers, brothers or husbands can open an account in this branch only if they are introduced by their daughters, sisters or wives.