Icici has unveiled a mobile app specifically designed for India's huge rural population, providing a host of banking services as well as useful information such as crop prices.
The Mera iMobile app is available in 11 languages and provides 135 services, including targeted credit cards and loans for farm equipment.
Several features - including fund transfers, bill payments, cheque book requests and balance enquiries - can also be accessed without mobile internet, via SMS.
In addition, the new tool provides agriculture-related information like cropwise mandi prices, as well as weather updates to help farmers plan their sowing and harvesting schedules. These services are available to all Indians, including non Icici customers.
Chanda Kochhar, MD & CEO, Icici, says: "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."
Separately, Icici has launched the second season of its 'appathon', giving developers access to a set of over 250 APIs from the likes of Visa, IBM and the National Payments Corporation of India.
The virtual challenge will see developers battling it out to create FS-related apps and to win a share of a prize pool of over Rs 20 lakh.
Last year's challenge drew more than 2000 participants. The winning entry, which enabled payments using digital keyboards, was incorporated into Icici's app.