Citibank to open at least 20 more branches in Mumbai

Bhopal, Feb 26 (UNI) Citibank, a constituent of the world's largest financial group, is keen to open at least 20 more branches in India's commercial capital Mumbai and one each in certain other major cities, including Nagpur and Kanpur.

This was disclosed to UNI by Citibanking Head-India and Vice-President Uday Sareen after the launch of Citibank's 39th branch here last evening.

For the bank's plans to expand its network in India, he sought relaxation of RBI restrictions in granting licenses for opening branches.

''We are eager to provide world-class services to people in different parts of India,'' he said while regretting, ''we are still categorised as a foreign bank even though we are operating in India for over 100 years and our services are akin to that of any other Indian bank, for all practical purposes. We have the distinction of being first in India on several counts including credit cards, debit cards and ATM cards.

''We are prepared to expand our services to emerge as a major partner in India's economic growth,'' he added.

Wealth Manager Aruni Kumar Mahapatra quoted a study saying that Bhopal ranked 13th in the country in per capita bank savings.

''This is one of the factors that prompted us to open our new branch in this city,'' he said.

''We believe in promoting personal rapport with our client, which makes us different. We also cater to requirements other than customers' banking. For instance, we assist them in hosting their business conferences and meetings in metros such as Mumbai,'' said Relationship Manager Nandita Malhotra.

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