Public Sector Banks To Join Hands and Create A Cloud Based Platform with Fintech Companies

Public sector lenders including the State Bank of India will jointly set up a unified cloud based digital platform to connect with fintech companies and source loans through them on a revenue-sharing basis, said people with knowledge of the matter. Under the model, finTech companies will conduct all preliminary credit checks through a third-party application platform interface (API) and account aggregators. They will then upload the completed loan application onto this digital platform. Individual banks can access these loan requests and fund them based on their internal credit risk parameters, sharing a commission or fee with the originating fintech company. "The idea is that the fintech firms will onboard large corporate and their suppliers or dealers for supplychain finance (SCF) business", a senior bank executive told.

The framework will allow state-run banks to tap the extensive resource base of multiple finTech firms, reducing their own cost of sourcing loans and investing individually in expensive platforms or technologies. "The initiative will be led by PSB Alliance, and we are in the final stages of selecting a technology service provider to develop and manage this cloud-based platform", the

official said. PSB Alliance has been set up by public sector banks to act as an intermediary for them. The proposed digital platform will be integrated with the core banking systems of each public sector bank for disbursements and reporting. It will subsequently connect other small and medium enterprises(SME) account service firms, helping banks provide credit under writing, transaction management and other micro, small and medium enterprises(MSME)lending products.

PSB alliance is envisaged as an umbrella entity that will enable public sector banks to deliver financial and non-financial banking services to the door step through common applications or platforms

The finance ministry has been pushing banks to explore synergies with new-age fintech firms. Leveraging the fintech system will allow small businesses and individuals excluded from the banking system to raise cheaper organised credit, said the people cited above. PSB Alliance is envisaged as an umbrella entity that will enable public sector banks to deliver financial and non-financial banking services to the doorstep through common applications or platforms such as the proposed digital lending one. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said the economy of any country is as progressive as its banking system is strong. "If Jan Dhan accounts had laid the foundation of financial inclusion in the country, then fintech would form the basis of financial revolution", he said while dedicating 75 Digital Banking Units in as many districts.