IMGCAP(1)]
HCL Infosystems Ltd. has won a contract from Mumbai-based State Bank of India and its associated banks to deploy and maintain ATMs, the India-based information-technology vendor says in a statement. The three-year deal is worth 400 million rupees (US$8.4 million or 5.9 million euros), the vendor says. HCL will deploy at least 1,000 ATMs and cash dispensers, many of which will have Braille capabilities. HCL also plans to deploy ATMs in rural areas and install multilingual software on machines, according to the statement. Immediate comment from the bank and HCL was unavailable because of a religious holiday in India. State Bank of India deploys some 12,000 ATMs. Earlier this year, the financial institution outsourced management of about 500 ATMs to telecommunications firm and broadband operator Tata Communications Ltd., along with payment-technology vendor C-Edge Technologies (CardLine Global, 11 May). In July, India's Yes Bank Ltd. announced an ATM-expansion deal with United States-based processor First Data Corp. (CardLine Global, 7 July). The moves came after the Reserve Bank of India, the country's central bank, changed two ATM rules. Authorities first mandated that the country's financial institutions offer free ATM cash withdrawals to their own debit cardholders. Banks still can earn surcharge fees from noncustomers who use their ATMs, providing an incentive for ATM-network expansion. The Reserve Bank also ruled that financial institutions can install off-site ATMs without its permission.
