BANKING PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

At its most basic level, a bank is a place to safely keep your money. But beyond
the basics, banks usually offer a wide range of products and services designed to
make managing your money a bit easier.

Bank Products means any facilities or services related to cash management,

including treasury, depository, overdraft, credit or debit card, purchase card,
electronic funds transfer and other cash management arrangements.

Banking services use banking products and/or products and services of

otherbanks. Banking Product would be a tangible or an intangible in nature
Eg: InBanking, A loan would be a product. In Banking Service: It is part of
a product, (may be sold for some consideration or may not) that is Intangible.

From car loans to credit cards, there are plenty of banking services you may
need at different stages of life. And with digital options, you can access many of
them right from your phone or laptop.

The different products in a bank can be broadly classified into:

 Retail Banking.
 Trade Finance.
 Treasury Operations.

Retail Banking and Trade finance operations are conducted at the branch level
while the wholesale banking operations, which cover treasury operations, are at
the head office or a designated branch.
Retail Banking:

 Deposits
 Loans, Cash Credit and Overdraft
 Negotiating for Loans and advances
 Remittances
 Book-Keeping (maintaining all accounting records)
 Receiving all kinds of bonds valuable for safe keeping

Trade Finance:

 Issuing and confirming of letter of credit.

 Drawing, accepting, discounting, buying, selling, collecting of bills of
exchange, promissory notes, drafts, bill of lading and other securities.
 Treasury Operations:

 Buying and selling of bullion, Foreign exchange.

 Acquiring, holding, underwriting and dealing in shares, debentures, etc.
 Purchasing and selling of bonds and securities on behalf of constituents.

The banks can also act as an agent of the Government or local authority. They
insure, guarantee, underwrite, participate in managing and carrying out issue of
shares, debentures, etc.
Apart from the above-mentioned functions of the bank, the bank provides a
whole lot of other services like investment counseling for individuals, short-
term funds management and portfolio management for individuals and
companies. It undertakes the inward and outward remittances with reference to
foreign exchange and collection of varied types for the Government.
Common Banking Products Available

Some of common available banking products are explained below:

1) Credit Card: Credit Card is “post paid” or “pay later” card that draws from
a credit line-money made available by the card issuer (bank) and gives one a
grace period to pay. If the amount is not paid full by the end of the period, one
is charged interest. A credit card is nothing but a very small card containing a
means of identification, such as a signature and a small photo. It authorizes the
holder to change goods or services to his account, on which he is billed. The
bank receives the bills from the merchants and pays on behalf of the card
holder. These bills are assembled in the bank and the amount is paid to the bank
by the card holder totally or by installments. The bank charges the customer a
small amount for these services. The card holder need not have to carry
money/cash with him when he travels or goes for purchasing. Credit cards have
found wide spread acceptance in the ‘metros’ and big cities. Credit cards are
joining popularity for online payments. The major players in the Credit Card
market are the foreign banks and some big public sector banks like SBI and
Bank of Baroda. India at present has about 10 million credit cards in circulation.
2) Debit Cards: Debit Card is a “prepaid” or “pay now” card with some stored
value. Debit Cards quickly debit or subtract money from one’s savings account,
or if one were taking out cash. Every time a person uses the card, the merchant
who in turn can get the money transferred to his account from the bank of the
buyers, by debiting an exact amount of purchase from the card.we get a debit
card along with a Personal Identification Number (PIN). When he makes a
purchase, he enters this number on the shop’s PIN pad. When the card is swiped
through the electronic terminal, it dials the acquiring bank system —
either Master Card or Visa that validates the PIN and finds out from the issuing
bank whether to accept or decline the transaction. The customer never
overspread because the amount spent is debited immediately from the customers
account. So, for the debit card to work, one must already have the money in the
account to cover the transaction. There is no grace period for a debit card
purchase. Some debit cards have monthly or per transaction fees. Debit Card
holder need not carry a bulky checkbook or large sums of cash when he/she
goes at for shopping. This is a fast and easy way of payment one can get debit
card facility as debit cards use one’s own money at the time of sale, so they are
often easier than credit cards to obtain. The major limitation of Debit Card is
that currently only some shops in urban areas accepts it. Also, a person can’t
operate it in case the telephone lines are down.
Difference between debit card and Credit card

Basis Credit card Debit card

You borrow money from
Money comes directly
a lending institution and
Origin of funds out of your checking
pay back some or all of
account.
it each month.
When your card is used,
When your card is used,
How funds are the credit card company
the funds are transferred
deducted pays the vendor for the
from your account.
purchase.
You have a limit on how You can access only the
much you can borrow, money available in your
Access to funds typically based on your account or you may face
creditworthiness. potential fees.
You can make a
purchase even if you Spending limits are even
don’t have available more concrete, which
Spending
funds at the time of may help you to keep
purchase, so it can be your budget.
easy to go over budget.
Interest is charged if you There are no interest
don’t pay your balance charges. But you may be
Potential charges in full. You may also be charged fees for
charged for making late withdrawing more than
payments. what’s in your account.
Perks Many cards offer You can often get cash
rewards such as frequent back at points of sale.
 flyer miles, cash back or
gift cards.
Doesn’t affect your
On-time payments
credit history. So use
Credit score could bolster your credit
won’t help – or hurt –
score.
your credit score.
You may be asked to
Since funds aren’t
enter a Personal
withdrawn immediately,
Identification Number
you may be protected
(PIN) to authorize
from fraud or theft. If
purchases. If you
Fraud protection you misplace your card,
misplace your card, you
you may be able to
may also be able to
temporarily lock it via
temporarily lock it via
mobile or online
mobile or online
banking.
banking.

Credit card Debit Card

Credit Cards or Debit Cards: The comparison

 Credit Limit

Credit Cards have monthly credit limits, which will depend on the kind of card
you have, your relationship with the bank and your credit-worthiness.
Debit Cards can be used only up to the amount that is present in your bank
account. However, the bank may have a daily purchase limit on your card.
 ATM withdrawals

Cash withdrawals on a Credit Card attract a withdrawal fee and interest

Debit Cards generally do not levy a cash withdrawal fee, especially if you
transact at your bank’s ATM.
Both Debit Cards and Credit Cards have a daily cash withdrawal limit. In
addition, Credit Cards may have a monthly withdrawal limit.
 Interest
 Credit Cards come with up to 50-days of interest free credit. To avoid interest,
you must pay your outstanding amount by the due date.
Since the amount is paid directly out of your account in the case of a Debit
Card, you need not pay any interest.
 Annual fees

Many Credit Cards have no annual fee. Some do charge an annual fee, which is
waived off on achieving a certain amount of spends on the card. A few
specialised cards charge an annual fee.
Banks usually do not charge annual or renewal fees on Debit Cards.
 Benefits

Credit Cards offer you a wide range of benefits and perks including cashbacks,
discounts and, most important, rewards that you can convert into free flights and
exciting gifts.
Debit Cards also offers benefits such as discounts and cashbacks.
 Usage

In terms of usage, there is generally no difference between Debit Cards and

Credit Cards. Both can be used at merchant outlets and online.
However, there may be certain types of transactions or websites which only
allow the use of Credit Cards.
 Eligibility

Most Credit Cards have basic eligibility criteria, based on income, existing
relationship and credit-worthiness
You can get a Debit Card easily if you have a savings or current account.
 Security features

Both Credit Cards and Debit Cards have similar security features, such as SMS
notifications, PIN and OTP.
Many Credit Cards come with zero liability insurance* for stolen and lost cards,
which Debit Cards don’t offer.