Interestingly, while foreign banks have a low deposit base, foreign shareholding of banks is quite significant, spread across 8 banks that account for 42% of the deposit base. Large foreign presence would facilitate adoption of international norms and practices and expose Pakistan’s banking industry to e-banking etc.
This structure, which should be manned by banks’ own skeletal staff can have a safe where BCs can deposit cash, a CBS terminal and passbook printing facility. Over a period of time, this can morph into a full fledged satellite branch of the Bank Urban financial inclusion: not to be lost sight of 12.