ICICI
Bank expands network in Vancouver, Canada
VANCOUVER, Oct. 3, 2005
ICICI Bank Canada Expands into Western Canada with
First Downtown Vancouver Branch to serve NRI cusomers.
ICICI Bank will have the first branch in Western Canada.
The Howe Street location, in downtown Vancouver,
opening its doors this week, is part of ICICI Bank
Canada's expansion plans to reach all major Canadian
business centres. The Branch is located in close proximity
to the Indian Consulate in Downtown
Vancouver. Since December 2003, ICICI Bank Canada
has opened four branches located in the Greater Toronto
Area and now Vancouver will be the fifth Canadian
branch.
On Wednesday, October 5, 2005, in the presence of
over 100 local and
international dignitaries and the Bank's Canadian
board of directors, Arne
Gulstene, Branch Manager, Downtown Vancouver Branch,
and his colleagues will
host a reception. Mr. K.V. Kamath, Managing Director
and CEO, Mrs. Lalita
Gupte, Joint Managing Director and Mr. Bhargav Dasgupta,
Senior General
Manager, International Banking Group, ICICI Bank Limited,
the parent company,
will be traveling from the global headquarters in
Mumbai, India, to Vancouver
for this inauguration. ICICI Bank Canada President
and CEO, Hari Panday, and
other Canadian executives will be onsite to officially
introduce ICICI Bank
Canada to the Greater Vancouver community.
Since inception, ICICI Bank Canada has consistently
lead the full-service
banks in Canada by offering one of the highest deposit
rates and it has become
known for its attractive and straightforward offerings
to its loyal and new
customers from coast-to-coast. As an example, the
Bank recently announced an
increase in its HiSAVE Savings Account to 3% per annum
- with no minimum
balance requirements, no account maintenance fees
and no lock-in periods.
Furthermore, the same rate applies to both Personal
and Business Savings
accounts, whether held in Canadian or US Dollars.
ICICI Bank Canada guarantees
the interest rate of 3% up to March 31, 2006.
In less than two years, ICICI Bank Canada has amassed
over 30,000
Canadian customers, aggressively building its branch
network, a robust online
banking platform, telephone banking, ATMs, credit
cards and a full suite of
personal and commercial banking products. This foray
into Western Canada has
started with the Howe Street branch and an additional
site in British Columbia
has already been identified in the City of Surrey,
in the lower mainland.
ICICI Bank Canada is creating a strong presence as
it widens its
offerings in Canada. With five language options available
to customers and
non-customers at its ABMs and staff speaking 17 languages,
ICICI Bank Canada
has become a highly acceptable brand and a competitive
institution.
About ICICI Bank Canada: ICICI Bank Canada,
a wholly-owned subsidiary of
ICICI Bank Limited is a member of Canada Deposit Insurance
Corporation (CDIC)
and is a full-service direct bank offering a comprehensive
suite of personal
and commercial banking, trade finance and Non-resident
Indian services. The
bank is supported by a state-of-the-art electronic
banking platform
(www.icicibank.ca), a 24-hour toll free customer contact
centre and
proprietary ABMs. ICICI Bank Canada branches are currently
located in the
Greater Toronto Area: Toronto, Brampton, Scarborough
and Toronto East (Little
India)...Source CNW Group