Simply put, HDFC Bank is now upgrading its delivery channels-- moving up the evolutionary ladder from the traditional branch, phone-banking, ATMs to Internet, mobile-phone banking and, now cable-ISPs and the financing of set-top boxes. Incidentally, HDFC Bank has 40,000 registered Internet-banking users-- within seven months of the launch of this facility.Says HDFC Bank country head (marketing & retail assets), Neeraj Swaroop-- "The bank would like to offer its customers a whole range of access points from branches to ATMs, phone-banking, mobile banking and the latest in Internet-banking even as we offer a whole suite of products both on the liabilities and asset fronts," adding-- "HDFC bank will also finance the purchase of set-top boxes."

The setting up of Internet kiosks along with 30 to 40 off-site ATMs in metros and non-metros around the country is also part of the bank's strategy to increase access-points. "These kiosks will be an additional point of access for our customers... enabling them to get more information through the Net like accessing demat accounts... however, we will be deploying additional Internet kiosks only after seeing the initial demand from our customers".

HDFC Bank currently has 116 branches and 118 ATMs in 41 cities. It will be adding another 20 branches and 100 ATMs over the year. HDFC Bank is the largest issuer of ATM cards in the country with a base of 6,00,000, and is close to touching the million mark on the retail accounts side. On an average, new account openings number 40,000 per month and the bank seeks to reach a target of 1.3 million by year-end.