Kotak Mahindra Bank studying integrating ING Vysya's technology

Private sector Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd is in the process of studying integrating the technology platforms of ING Vysya Bank and the study is expected to be over in couple of quarters, said a senior official here on Monday.

Recently ING Vysya Bank got merged with Kotak Mahindra Bank thereby making the latter the fourth largest private bank in the country with over 1,200 branches and over 1,900 automatic teller machines (ATM).

"The integration process of ING Vysya Bank with Kotak Mahindra Bank is in the process. We are in the middle of it. The integration is expected to be over in around two quarters," said Deepak Sharma, executive vice president-head digital initiatives, told reporters.

Queried about integrating technological platforms of ING Vysya Bank like its core banking solution and others he said: "Those are things we are currently evaluating. The digital platforms of ING Vysya Bank are also being studied."

Sharma was here to launch Kotak Mahindra Bank's Kotak Bharat App -- a mobile software application -- in Tamil.

According to Sharma the new mobile software application is available in six languages -- Hindi, English, Tamil, Marathi, Kannada and Gujarati -- to enable the bank's savings and current account customers transact in their language.

Sharma said the new application would enable a customer to transfer funds -- subject to a per day cap of Rs.2,500 -- to any other person's bank account using their mobile phones and without internet connectivity.

He said the light application that occupies less than 2 MB memory capacity of a smart phone can also be used to manage credit card, savings and current account apart from recharging mobile phones and direct-to-home (DTH) connections.

Sharma said Kotak Mahindra Bank is one of the top banks in terms of value and volume of mobile banking transactions in the country.

He said last September the volume of mobile banking transactions done by the bank's customers were around Rs.1,700 crore.