China online banking development Essay Example for Free

china online edgeing maturement Essaymainland mainland chinawargon is expected to become the largest information engineering science (IT) preyet in the world in the close five years, ack right awayledging that computers leave be popular in Chinese families by that conviction. mainland mainland china now ranks none 2 in lucre subscribers in the world. owe to chinaw atomic number 18s large population, the countrys internet market muted has with child(p) potential. education technology has been utilized in approximately on the whole sectors of chinas economy today. E-g everywherenment, e- clientele, e- pay, and upgrading of state-owned enterprises will in all told reserve much opportunities for the development of the industry in chinaware is expected to become the largest information technology (IT) market in the world in the next five years, acknowledging that computers will be popular in Chinese families by that time. China now ranks No.2 in net income sub scribers in the world. Owing to Chinas large population, the countrys Internet market still has great potential. instruction technology has been utilized in nearly all sectors of Chinas economy today. E-g everyplacenment, e-business, e-finance, and upgrading of state-owned enterprises will all provide to a greater extent opportunities for the development of the industry in China. empathise the Memo sent appear by Jaime nearly 2004 Mid-Year Offsite assurance line-planning meeting conducted by S1 postulatement team, the key issue of Perfecting our International and Distribution Business caught my attention. Learned the word that Macau Tai Fung bevel implemented S1 deposeing Solution to flinged its online banking armed military serve, and appoint out that S1 open(a) an touch in capital of Red China Chinas capital city, I got a feeling that S1 already turned its eyes to Chinese Market and enjoy whether S1s management would like to eviscerate further moves and stamp down the opportunity.Before left China to immigrant to Canada, I had 6 years working experiences in Beijing-my home city, relations with Chinese pecuniary agencies and institutions, Chinese and multinational banks as closely as different financial institutions and assistance providers in China, Im quite known with Chinese financial industry structure. Id like to reuse my knowledge and do this online research report. If S1 is interested in expanding business in China, but not clear what is the situation in that location and where to start, my research report will, I hope to a certain extent, answer around of your questions.The main propose of this report is to provide well-nigh information and personal suggestions that, I hope, could be helpful for S1s management or marketing team to transgress understand Chinese market. This report includes information covering Chinese banking schema structure, the emergence and development of Internet banking and online insurance r un in China, Chinese governments policies and regulations toward online banking and insurance business as well as some prepositional thoughts nearly how to present S1 and its products to China.Naissance of Online fixing in China In the spick-and-span-fashioned 1990s, China began suffering banks to open online businesses. In 1996, China Merchants patois launched the 1st online financing service in China through All in One Net, an online earnings method, which set up the basic operating regulation of China online banking. On October 1997, the industrial and Commercial brim of China (ICBC) established its own homepage on Internet to promote its financing run and to provide business guide for Internet users. March 1998, bound of China successfully handled its first e-transaction.To 1999, all major banks in China had sped up their online banking construction. To date, online banking has made good get on with in China. match to statistics from the of late seminar called Inte rnational Symposium on the Development of Online Banking and Supervision sponsored by China Banking regulative Commission, Chinas online bank proceedings be expected to work 20 dining tableinal yuan (about 2. 4 meg US dollars) by the destination of this year. Currently, China has over 40 million individuals and 60,000 companies and institutions involved in online banking businesses.In 2003, Internet-based banking businesses have witnessed a orotund step forward, owe to the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome). Traditionally, Chinese have placed a premium on portray-to-face meeting for important business-related matters, but the SARS crisis has forced people to interchange their attitude. Online Banking Development in China China is in the early stages of a vast transformation from a tralatitious rallying and carry banking constitution where customers use the offshootes for almost any banking activity to a redbrick Inter net banking trunk.Currently, to a greater extent than 50 commercial banks ( internal and distant) and over 200 of their branches in China have opened websites, among which, a quantity of over 50 banks have launched online businesses. The Growth of Online Banking Customers in China Chinas online bank transactions were 14. 3 trillion yuan in 2001, increased to 21. 8 one thousand million yuan in 2003, and ar expected to dawn 20 trillion yuan (about 2. 4 trillion US dollars) by the repeal of this year. see 3. 1 The Growth of Online Banking Customers in China Online Shopping pay Methods in China.According to a gaze made by China Internet Network reading Center (CNNIC), recompense online by belief card and unsex card is becoming the 1st weft for online purchasing. The traditional compensation method of fee on sales talk by cash and postal remitment decreased 3. 7% this year. Figure 3. 2 Online Purchasing Payment Methods in China An analysis shows that protection and s ervice abilities are the main concerns for Chinese to use online banking service, 72. 2% of the people inquired care a slew about whether the banks brook guarantee the pencil eraser of all transactions in their online work, 60.6% hope to put one over more functions and flexibilities. Figure 3. 3 Factors that that will attract Chinese to use online banking operate Both Chinese and foreign banks in China complete that the internet solutions provide clients with more channels to communicate with them and allow them to benefit from greater control and apostrophize efficiency, which are top of mind for treasurers today. Domestic Banks and Their Online Banking function For more Chinese, banking in popular is a new experience and in an economy where cash remains important, so bank branches besides provide gage to customers.However, with accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), Chinas major banks having to face competition, the local players are increasingly sightednes s their extensive and heavily manned branch networks as a liability. More and more Chinese banks front to have discovered the Internet as new man-made lake of revenue and the mesomorphic attraction of Internet banking is reflected an attractive proposition. The Chinese bank that has bee quickest off the mark in build Internet banking is China Merchant Bank, which launched the first online financing service in China in 1996.The foursome state-owned commercial banks quick followed and successively began to offer up some online work since then. May 2000, the unpolished Bank of China (ABC) implemented a trial Internet banking service in its Guangzhou Branch, which allowed their customers in Guangdong land to access their grievance through Internet. declination 2000, ABC launched online banking service in Shanghai called 95599 Online Bank. The new service of 95599 Online bank has reportedly attracted a subdue of large incarnate clients, such(prenominal) as China Worldbest chemical radical and Shanghai Volkswagen.The services offered include up-to-dateness exchange, personal cheque issuance and access to consumer brings. Users can besides report the qualifying of certificates of make, bankbooks and bankcards as well as prearrange withdrawals of cash sums. At the same time, China Construction Bank (CCB) announced its plans to incommode its online banking services to 15 cities in the mainland as well as simplify the change of related credentials in a bid to boost the number of clients utilise online services.The bank began religious offering online services in April 2000 in cities of Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Qingdao. Last year, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) unveiled a new political platform for its personal online banking business emailprotected ICBC officials give tongue to the upgraded e-banking platform could facilitate a key dismission of the banks outlets from all-round functions to sales-orientated servi ces, and gives it a firmer foothold in a market with intensifying foreign competition.ICBC officials said the 58-function brand-name allows almost all services a traditional banking outlet offers to be processed by the client on the computer, including 24-hour any-amount transfers of funds or remittances, securities and foreign coin trading as well as collateralized loans. Figure 3. 4 Internet go provided by the 4 state-owned commercial banks Name Website URL linguistic process Internet run The Agricultural Bank of China (ABC) www. abocn. com Chinese simplify Banking industry news and website news, regularization for foreign silver deposits sleeper to online banking Bank of China (BOC) www. bank-of-china. com Chinese Simplified English Link to branch offices in some other cities and provinces Link to E-banking services Cash management Information on the bank and its activities Information on recognition card deposits online and think banking, loans and remittances. Ch ina Construction Bank www. ccb-on-line. com Chinese Simplified English Links to exchange rates, stock quotes, deposit rates, loan rates, bank fees. Link to branch offices in other cities and provinces Credit card information.International trading operations such as financing, merchant banking, international settlements, capital exchange, treasury services, credit investigations Information on overseas branches and domestic branches that conduct international transactions Foreign currency deposit, multi-currency remittances, musical score settlement and term deposit. Link to online banking and payment The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) www. icbc. com. cn Chinese Simplified Chinese Traditional English Link to branch offices in other cities and provinces Link to online bank services personal banking, corporate Banking.Information on E-banking Online financing Links to exchange rates, stock quotes, deposit rates, loan rates, bank fees. Foreign Banks and Their O nline Banking Services Citibank claims that they are the 1st foreign bank in China that obtained approval from the Peoples Bank of China (PCBC) to offer Internet banking services in China to both domestic and international corporations, as well as consumers. Its Internet banking services provide clients with convenient, easy-to-use, and secure access to banking transactions, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, over the Web.Offering its CitiDirect corporate banking service for cash management, the bank has develop an internet-based payments system specifically for the country. The system enables corporate clients in China to make local currency (renminbi) payment transactions to beneficiaries in over 7000 locations. The system, called Citibank Easy Payments, also delivers various payment and collections reports for clients to view or transfer into their computers. Its Internet-based banking services available in China for corporate and consumer clients includeCitiDirect(r) Online Ba nking is Citibanks Web-based delivery channel for corporate clients, designed to securely deliver online an ever-expanding begin of Citibank transaction products. CitiDirect(r) Online Banking provides access to broadsheet information, payment initiation capabilities, collections data, occupation finance transactions, and import/export turn on integration capabilities. CitiDirect(r) replaces traditional electronic banking applications with a single Web-based delivery channel, thereby improving efficiency and lessen costs to clients.Available in 90 countries and 20 languages including traditional and modify Chinese, CitiDirecti Online Banking gives clients the benefits of real-time processing, robust trade protection and integration with their in-house treasury systems. * Citibank Easy Payments, an Internet-based payment system that allows corporate clients in China to make local currency (Renminbi) payment transactions to beneficiaries in over 7000 locations in China. This sy stem was specifically developed for the China market.Citibank Easy Payments also delivers various payment and collections reports for clients to view or download into their computers. Citibank Easy Payments supports interface with all major Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) packages such as SAP, Oracle, BPCS as well as topically developed Chinese accounting packages. Citibank. com. cn, an Internet banking portal that allows corporations and consumers to manage their accounts online, make online enquiries or transactions, view custom-make and personalize pages as well as get online tools and real-time world(a) market information.Global banking group HSBC, Hang Seng Bank and Bank of East Asia received online-banking licence and launched online banking service in China on January 2003. This new service allows their customers to check their balances, transfer funds, make time deposits and account enquiries, check interest and foreign exchange rates, and send remittance instructions t hrough Internet. It is said that more foreign banks, like London-based measuring rod Chartered Bank, have also received approval to launch online banking services in China, but it is not clear when the emerging market specialist would offer such service.China is expected to become the largest information technology (IT) market in the world in the next five years, acknowledging that computers will be popular in Chinese families by that time. China now ranks No. 2 in Internet subscribers in the world. Owing to Chinas large population, the countrys Internet market still has great potential. Information technology has been utilized in almost all sectors of Chinas economy today. E-government, e-business, e-finance, and upgrading of state-owned enterprises will all provide more opportunities for the development of the industry in China.Read the Memo sent out by Jaime about 2004 Mid-Year Offsite Business-planning meeting conducted by S1 management team, the key topic of Perfecting our Int ernational and Distribution Business caught my attention. Learned the news that Macau Tai Fung bank implemented S1 Banking Solution to launched its online banking services, and found out that S1 opened an office in Beijing Chinas capital city, I got a feeling that S1 already turned its eyes to Chinese Market and wonder whether S1s management would like to make further moves and seize the opportunity.Before left China to immigrant to Canada, I had 6 years working experiences in Beijing-my home city, dealing with Chinese financial agencies and institutions, Chinese and foreign banks as well as other financial institutions and service providers in China, Im quite familiar with Chinese financial industry structure. Id like to reuse my knowledge and made this online research report. If S1 is interested in expanding business in China, but not clear what is the situation there and where to start, my research report will, I hope to a certain extent, answer some of your questions.The main p urpose of this report is to provide some information and personal suggestions that, I hope, could be helpful for S1s management or marketing team to better understand Chinese market. This report includes information covering Chinese banking system structure, the emergence and development of Internet banking and online insurance services in China, Chinese governments policies and regulations toward online banking and insurance business as well as some prepositional thoughts about how to present S1 and its products to China.Naissance of Online Banking in China In the late 1990s, China began allowing banks to open online businesses. In 1996, China Merchants Bank launched the 1st online financing service in China through All in One Net, an online payment method, which set up the basic operating pattern of China online banking. On October 1997, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) established its own homepage on Internet to promote its financing services and to provide busi ness guide for Internet users. March 1998, Bank of China successfully handled its first e-transaction.To 1999, all major banks in China had sped up their online banking construction. To date, online banking has made good progress in China. According to statistics from the recently seminar called International Symposium on the Development of Online Banking and Supervision sponsored by China Banking Regulatory Commission, Chinas online bank transactions are expected to reach 20 trillion yuan (about 2. 4 trillion US dollars) by the end of this year. Currently, China has over 40 million individuals and 60,000 companies and institutions involved in online banking businessesIn 2003, Internet-based banking businesses have witnessed a big step forward, owing to the outbreak of SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome). Traditionally, Chinese have placed a premium on face-to-face meeting for important business-related matters, but the SARS crisis has forced people to change their attitude. On line Banking Development in China China is in the early stages of a vast transformation from a traditional cash and carry banking system where customers use the branches for almost every banking activity to a modern Internet banking system.Currently, more than 50 commercial banks (domestic and foreign) and over 200 of their branches in China have opened websites, among which, a total of over 50 banks have launched online businesses. The Growth of Online Banking Customers in China Chinas online bank transactions were 14. 3 billion yuan in 2001, increased to 21. 8 billion yuan in 2003, and are expected to reach 20 trillion yuan (about 2. 4 trillion US dollars) by the end of this year. Figure 3. 1 The Growth of Online Banking Customers in China Online Shopping Payment Methods in ChinaAccording to a survey made by China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC), payment online by credit card and deposit card is becoming the 1st choice for online purchasing. The traditional payment me thod of payment on delivery by cash and postal remittance decreased 3. 7% this year. Figure 3. 2 Online Purchasing Payment Methods in China An analysis shows that security and service abilities are the main concerns for Chinese to use online banking services, 72. 2% of the people inquired care a lot about whether the banks can guarantee the safety of all transactions in their online services, 60.6% hope to see more functions and flexibilities. Figure 3. 3 Factors that that will attract Chinese to use online banking services Both Chinese and foreign banks in China realized that the internet solutions provide clients with more channels to communicate with them and allow them to benefit from greater control and cost efficiency, which are top of mind for treasurers today. Domestic Banks and Their Online Banking Services For many Chinese, banking in general is a new experience and in an economy where cash remains important, so bank branches also provide security to customers.However, wit h accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), Chinas major banks having to face competition, the local players are increasingly seeing their extensive and heavily manned branch networks as a liability. More and more Chinese banks seem to have discovered the Internet as new source of revenue and the powerful attraction of Internet banking is reflected an attractive proposition. The Chinese bank that has bee quickest off the mark in building Internet banking is China Merchant Bank, which launched the first online financing service in China in 1996.The four state-owned commercial banks quickly followed and successively began to offer some online services since then. May 2000, the Agricultural Bank of China (ABC) implemented a trial Internet banking service in its Guangzhou Branch, which allowed their customers in Guangdong province to access their account through Internet. December 2000, ABC launched online banking service in Shanghai called 95599 Online Bank. The new service of 9 5599 Online bank has reportedly attracted a number of large corporate clients, such as China Worldbest Group and Shanghai Volkswagen.The services offered include currency exchange, personal cheque issuance and access to consumer loans. Users can also report the loss of certificates of deposit, bankbooks and bankcards as well as prearrange withdrawals of cash sums. At the same time, China Construction Bank (CCB) announced its plans to extend its online banking services to 15 cities in the mainland as well as simplify the process of related authentication in a bid to boost the number of clients using online services.The bank began offering online services in April 2000 in cities of Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Qingdao. Last year, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) unveiled a new platform for its personal online banking business emailprotected ICBC officials said the upgraded e-banking platform could facilitate a key shift of the banks outlets from all-round functi ons to sales-orientated services, and gives it a firmer foothold in a market with intensifying foreign competition.ICBC officials said the 58-function brand-name allows almost all services a traditional banking outlet offers to be processed by the client on the computer, including 24-hour any-amount transfers of funds or remittances, securities and foreign currency trading as well as collateralized loans. Figure 3. 4 Internet Services provided by the 4 state-owned commercial banks Name Website URL Language Internet Services The Agricultural Bank of China (ABC) www. abocn. com Chinese Simplified Banking industry news and website news, Regulation for foreign currency depositsLink to online banking Bank of China (BOC) www. bank-of-china. com Chinese Simplified English Link to branch offices in other cities and provinces Link to E-banking services Cash management Information on the bank and its activities Information on credit card deposits online and phone banking, loans and remitt ances. China Construction Bank www. ccb-on-line. com Chinese Simplified English Links to exchange rates, stock quotes, deposit rates, loan rates, bank fees. Link to branch offices in other cities and provinces Credit card information.International Operations such as financing, merchant banking, international settlements, currency exchange, treasury services, credit investigations Information on oversea branches and domestic branches that conduct international transactions Foreign currency deposit, multi-currency remittances, account settlement and term deposit. Link to online banking and payment The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) www. icbc. com. cn Chinese Simplified Chinese Traditional English Link to branch offices in other cities and provinces Link to online bank services personal banking, corporate Banking.Information on E-banking Online financing Links to exchange rates, stock quotes, deposit rates, loan rates, bank fees. Foreign Banks and Their Online Bank ing Services Citibank claims that they are the 1st foreign bank in China that obtained approval from the Peoples Bank of China (PCBC) to offer Internet banking services in China to both domestic and international corporations, as well as consumers. Its Internet banking services provide clients with convenient, easy-to-use, and secure access to banking transactions, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, over the Web.Offering its CitiDirect corporate banking service for cash management, the bank has developed an internet-based payments system specifically for the country. The system enables corporate clients in China to make local currency (renminbi) payment transactions to beneficiaries in over 7000 locations. The system, called Citibank Easy Payments, also delivers various payment and collections reports for clients to view or download into their computers. Its Internet-based banking services available in China for corporate and consumer clients includeCitiDirect(r) Online Banking is C itibanks Web-based delivery channel for corporate clients, designed to securely deliver online an ever-expanding array of Citibank transaction products. CitiDirect(r) Online Banking provides access to account information, payment initiation capabilities, collections data, trade finance transactions, and import/export file integration capabilities. CitiDirect(r) replaces traditional electronic banking applications with a single Web-based delivery channel, thereby improving efficiency and reducing costs to clients.Available in 90 countries and 20 languages including traditional and simplified Chinese, CitiDirecti Online Banking gives clients the benefits of real-time processing, robust security and integration with their in-house treasury systems. * Citibank Easy Payments, an Internet-based payment system that allows corporate clients in China to make local currency (Renminbi) payment transactions to beneficiaries in over 7000 locations in China. This system was specifically developed for the China market.Citibank Easy Payments also delivers various payment and collections reports for clients to view or download into their computers. Citibank Easy Payments supports interface with all major Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) packages such as SAP, Oracle, BPCS as well as locally developed Chinese accounting packages. Citibank. com. cn, an Internet banking portal that allows corporations and consumers to manage their accounts online, make online enquiries or transactions, view customize and personalize pages as well as get online tools and real-time global market information.Global banking group HSBC, Hang Seng Bank and Bank of East Asia received online-banking license and launched online banking service in China on January 2003. This new service allows their customers to check their balances, transfer funds, make time deposits and account enquiries, check interest and foreign exchange rates, and send remittance instructions through Internet. It is said that more f oreign banks, like London-based Standard Chartered Bank, have also received approval to launch online banking services in China, but it is not clear when the emerging market specialist would offer such service.Read the Memo sent out by Jaime about 2004 Mid-Year Offsite Business-planning meeting conducted by S1 management team, the key topic of Perfecting our International and Distribution Business caught my attention. Learned the news that Macau Tai Fung bank implemented S1 Banking Solution to launched its online banking services, and found out that S1 opened an office in Beijing Chinas capital city, I got a feeling that S1 already turned its eyes to Chinese Market and wonder whether S1s management would like to make further moves and seize the opportunity.Before left China to immigrant to Canada, I had 6 years working experiences in Beijing-my home city, dealing with Chinese financial agencies and institutions, Chinese and foreign banks as well as other financial institutions and service providers in China, Im quite familiar with Chinese financial industry structure. Id like to reuse my knowledge and made this online research report. If S1 is interested in expanding business in China, but not clear what is the situation there and where to start, my research report will, I hope to a certain extent, answer some of your questions.The main purpose of this report is to provide some information and personal suggestions that, I hope, could be helpful for S1s management or marketing team to better understand Chinese market. This report includes information covering Chinese banking system structure, the emergence and development of Internet banking and online insurance services in China, Chinese governments policies and regulations toward online banking and insurance business as well as some prepositional thoughts about how to present S1 and its products to China.Naissance of Online Banking in China In the late 1990s, China began allowing banks to open online busines ses. In 1996, China Merchants Bank launched the 1st online financing service in China through All in One Net, an online payment method, which set up the basic operating pattern of China online banking. On October 1997, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) established its own homepage on Internet to promote its financing services and to provide business guide for Internet users. March 1998, Bank of China successfully handled its first e-transaction.To 1999, all major banks in China had sped up their online banking construction. To date, online banking has made good progress in China. According to statistics from the recently seminar called International Symposium on the Development of Online Banking and Supervision sponsored by China Banking Regulatory Commission, Chinas online bank transactions are expected to reach 20 trillion yuan (about 2. 4 trillion US dollars) by the end of this year. Currently, China has over 40 million individuals and 60,000 companies and instit utions involved in online banking businesses.In 2003, Internet-based banking businesses have witnessed a big step forward, owing to the outbreak of SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome). Traditionally, Chinese have placed a premium on face-to-face meeting for important business-related matters, but the SARS crisis has forced people to change their attitude. Online Banking Development in China China is in the early stages of a vast transformation from a traditional cash and carry banking system where customers use the branches for almost every banking activity to a modern Internet banking system.Currently, more than 50 commercial banks (domestic and foreign) and over 200 of their branches in China have opened websites, among which, a total of over 50 banks have launched online businesses. The Growth of Online Banking Customers in China Chinas online bank transactions were 14. 3 billion yuan in 2001, increased to 21. 8 billion yuan in 2003, and are expected to reach 20 trillion yu an (about 2. 4 trillion US dollars) by the end of this year. Figure 3. 1 The Growth of Online Banking Customers in China Online Shopping Payment Methods in ChinaAccording to a survey made by China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC), payment online by credit card and deposit card is becoming the 1st choice for online purchasing. The traditional payment method of payment on delivery by cash and postal remittance decreased 3. 7% this year. Figure 3. 2 Online Purchasing Payment Methods in China An analysis shows that security and service abilities are the main concerns for Chinese to use online banking services, 72. 2% of the people inquired care a lot about whether the banks can guarantee the safety of all transactions in their online services, 60.6% hope to see more functions and flexibilities. Figure 3. 3 Factors that that will attract Chinese to use online banking services Both Chinese and foreign banks in China realized that the internet solutions provide clients with more channels to communicate with them and allow them to benefit from greater control and cost efficiency, which are top of mind for treasurers today. Domestic Banks and Their Online Banking Services For many Chinese, banking in general is a new experience and in an economy where cash remains important, so bank branches also provide security to customers.However, with accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), Chinas major banks having to face competition, the local players are increasingly seeing their extensive and heavily manned branch networks as a liability. More and more Chinese banks seem to have discovered the Internet as new source of revenue and the powerful attraction of Internet banking is reflected an attractive proposition. The Chinese bank that has bee quickest off the mark in building Internet banking is China Merchant Bank, which launched the first online financing service in China in 1996.The four state-owned commercial banks quickly followed and successively beg an to offer some online services since then. May 2000, the Agricultural Bank of China (ABC) implemented a trial Internet banking service in its Guangzhou Branch, which allowed their customers in Guangdong province to access their account through Internet. December 2000, ABC launched online banking service in Shanghai called 95599 Online Bank. The new service of 95599 Online bank has reportedly attracted a number of large corporate clients, such as China Worldbest Group and Shanghai Volkswagen.The services offered include currency exchange, personal cheque issuance and access to consumer loans. Users can also report the loss of certificates of deposit, bankbooks and bankcards as well as prearrange withdrawals of cash sums. At the same time, China Construction Bank (CCB) announced its plans to extend its online banking services to 15 cities in the mainland as well as simplify the process of related authentication in a bid to boost the number of clients using online services.The bank b egan offering online services in April 2000 in cities of Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Qingdao. Last year, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) unveiled a new platform for its personal online banking business emailprotected ICBC officials said the upgraded e-banking platform could facilitate a key shift of the banks outlets from all-round functions to sales-orientated services, and gives it a firmer foothold in a market with intensifying foreign competition.ICBC officials said the 58-function brand-name allows almost all services a traditional banking outlet offers to be processed by the client on the computer, including 24-hour any-amount transfers of funds or remittances, securities and foreign currency trading as well as collateralized loans. Figure 3. 4 Internet Services provided by the 4 state-owned commercial banks Name Website URL Language Internet Services The Agricultural Bank of China (ABC) www. abocn. com Chinese Simplified Banking industry news and we bsite news, Regulation for foreign currency depositsLink to online banking Bank of China (BOC) www. bank-of-china. com Chinese Simplified English Link to branch offices in other cities and provinces Link to E-banking services Cash management Information on the bank and its activities Information on credit card deposits online and phone banking, loans and remittances. China Construction Bank www. ccb-on-line. com Chinese Simplified English Links to exchange rates, stock quotes, deposit rates, loan rates, bank fees. Link to branch offices in other cities and provinces Credit card informationInternational Operations such as financing, merchant banking, international settlements, currency exchange, treasury services, credit investigations Information on oversea branches and domestic branches that conduct international transactions Foreign currency deposit, multi-currency remittances, account settlement and term deposit. Link to online banking and payment The Industrial and Commercia l Bank of China (ICBC) www. icbc. com. cn Chinese Simplified Chinese Traditional English Link to branch offices in other cities and provinces Link to online bank services personal banking, corporate BankingInformation on E-banking Online financing Links to exchange rates, stock quotes, deposit rates, loan rates, bank fees. Foreign Banks and Their Online Banking Services Citibank claims that they are the 1st foreign bank in China that obtained approval from the Peoples Bank of China (PCBC) to offer Internet banking services in China to both domestic and international corporations, as well as consumers. Its Internet banking services provide clients with convenient, easy-to-use, and secure access to banking transactions, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, over the Web.Offering its CitiDirect corporate banking service for cash management, the bank has developed an internet-based payments system specifically for the country. The system enables corporate clients in China to make local currency (renminbi) payment transactions to beneficiaries in over 7000 locations. The system, called Citibank Easy Payments, also delivers various payment and collections reports for clients to view or download into their computers. Its Internet-based banking services available in China for corporate and consumer clients includeCitiDirect(r) Online Banking is Citibanks Web-based delivery channel for corporate clients, designed to securely deliver online an ever-expanding array of Citibank transaction products. CitiDirect(r) Online Banking provides access to account information, payment initiation capabilities, collections data, trade finance transactions, and import/export file integration capabilities. CitiDirect(r) replaces traditional electronic banking applications with a single Web-based delivery channel, thereby improving efficiency and reducing costs to clients.Available in 90 countries and 20 languages including traditional and simplified Chinese, CitiDirecti Online Banking gives clients the benefits of real-time processing, robust security and integration with their in-house treasury systems. * Citibank Easy Payments, an Internet-based payment system that allows corporate clients in China to make local currency (Renminbi) payment transactions to beneficiaries in over 7000 locations in China. This system was specifically developed for the China market.Citibank Easy Payments also delivers various payment and collections reports for clients to view or download into their computers. Citibank Easy Payments supports interface with all major Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) packages such as SAP, Oracle, BPCS as well as locally developed Chinese accounting packages. Citibank. com. cn, an Internet banking portal that allows corporations and consumers to manage their accounts online, make online enquiries or transactions, view customize and personalize pages as well as get online tools and real-time global market information.Global banking group HSBC, Hang Se ng Bank and Bank of East Asia received online-banking license and launched online banking service in China on January 2003. This new service allows their customers to check their balances, transfer funds, make time deposits and account enquiries, check interest and foreign exchange rates, and send remittance instructions through Internet. It is said that more foreign banks, like London-based Standard Chartered Bank, have also received approval to launch online banking services in China, but it is not clear when the emerging market specialist would offer such service.