Online banking (or Internet banking) allows customers to conduct financial transactions on

a secure website operated by their retail or virtual bank, credit union or building society.

Contents
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 1 Features
 2 History
 3 Security
 4 See also
 5 References
 6 External links

[edit] Features
Online banking solutions have many features and capabilities in common, but traditionally
also have some that are application specific.

The common features fall broadly into several categories

 Transactional (e.g., performing a financial transaction such as an account to account

transfer, paying a bill, wire transfer, apply for a loan, new account, etc.)
o Payments to third parties, including bill payments and telegraphic/wire
transfers
o Funds transfers between a customer's own transactional account and savings
accounts
o Investment purchase or sale
o Loan applications and transactions, such as repayments of enrollments

 Non-transactional (e.g., online statements, cheque links, cobrowsing, chat)

o Viewing recent transactions
o Downloading bank statements, for example in PDF format
o Viewing images of paid cheques
 Financial Institution Administration
 Management of multiple users having varying levels of authority
 Transaction approval process

Features commonly unique to Internet banking include

 Personal financial management support, such as importing data into personal

accounting software. Some online banking platforms support account aggregation to
allow the customers to monitor all of their accounts in one place whether they are
with their main bank or with other institutions.
Internet banking (or E-banking) means any user with a personal computer and a browser can get connected to
his bank -s website to perform any of the virtual banking functions. In internet banking system the bank has a
centralized database that is web-enabled. All the services that the bank has permitted on the internet are
displayed in menu. Any service can be selected and further interaction is dictated by the nature of service. The
traditional branch model of bank is now giving place to an alternative delivery channels with ATM network.
Once the branch offices of bank are interconnected through terrestrial or satellite links, there would be no
physical identity for any branch. It would a borderless entity permitting anytime, anywhere and anyhow
banking.  
  The network which connects the various locations and gives connectivity to the central office within the
organization is called intranet. These networks are limited to organizations for which they are set up. SWIFT is
a live example of intranet application.
 Internet banking in india
The Reserve Bank of India constituted a working group on Internet Banking. The group divided the internet
banking products in India into 3 types based on the levels of access granted. They are: 
i) Information Only System:  General purpose information like interest rates, branch location, bank products
and their features, loan and deposit calculations are provided in the banks website. There exist facilities for
downloading various types of application forms. The communication is normally done through e-mail. There is
no interaction between the customer and bank's application system. No identification of the customer is done.
In this system, there is no possibility of any unauthorized person getting into production systems of the bank
through internet. 
ii) Electronic Information Transfer System:   The system provides customer- specific information in the form of
account balances, transaction details, and statement of accounts. The information is still largely of the 'read
only'  format. Identification and authentication of the customer is through password. The information is
fetched from the bank's application system either in batch mode or off-line. The application systems cannot
directly access through the internet. 
iii) Fully Electronic Transactional System:  This system allows bi-directional capabilities. Transactions can be
submitted by the customer for online update. This system requires high degree of security and control. In this
environment, web server and application systems are linked over secure infrastructure. It comprises 
technology covering computerization, networking and security, inter-bank payment gateway and legal
infrastructure. 
 Automated Teller Machine (ATM): 
 ATM is designed to perform the most important function of bank. It is operated by plastic card with its special
features. The plastic card is replacing cheque, personal attendance of the customer, banking hours restrictions
and paper based verification. There are debit cards. ATMs used as spring board for Electronic Fund Transfer.
ATM itself can provide information about customers account and also receive instructions from customers -
ATM cardholders. An ATM is an Electronic Fund Transfer terminal capable of handling cash deposits, transfer
between accounts, balance enquiries, cash withdrawals and pay bills. It may be on-line or 0ff-line. The on-line
ATN enables the customer to avail banking facilities from anywhere. In off-line the facilities are confined to
that particular ATM assigned. Any customer possessing ATM card issued by the Shared  Payment Network
System can go to any ATM linked to Shared Payment Networks and perform his transactions. 
Credit Cards/Debit Cards: 
 The Credit Card holder is empowered to spend wherever and whenever he wants with his Credit Card within
the limits fixed by his bank. Credit Card is a post paid card.  Debit Card, on the other hand, is a prepaid card
with some stored value. Every time a person uses this card, the Internet Banking house gets money transferred
to its account from the bank of the buyer. The buyers account is debited with the exact amount of purchases.
An individual has to open an account with the issuing bank which gives debit card with a Personal
Identification Number (PIN). When he makes a purchase, he enters his PIN on shops PIN pad. When the card is
slurped through the electronic terminal, it dials the acquiring bank system - either Master Card or VISA that
validates the PIN and finds out from the issuing bank whether to accept or decline the transactions. The
customer can never overspend because the system rejects any transaction which exceeds the balance in his
account. The bank never faces a default because the amount spent is debited immediately from the customers
account. 
Smart Card: 
Banks are adding chips to their current magnetic stripe cards to enhance  security and offer new service, called
Smart Cards. Smart Cards allow  thousands  of times of information storable on magnetic stripe cards.
In addition, these cards are highly secure, more reliable and perform multiple functions. They hold a large
amount of personal information, from medical and health history to personal banking and personal
preferences. 
 You can avail the following services through E-Banking.
 Bill payment service 
   You can facilitate payment of electricity and telephone bills, mobile phone, credit card and insurance
premium bills as each bank has tie-ups with various utility companies, service providers and
insurance companies, across the country. To pay your bills, all you need to do is complete a simple
one-time registration for each biller. You can also set up standing instructions online to pay your
recurring bills, automatically. Generally, the bank does not charge customers for online bill payment.
 Fund transfer
  You can transfer any amount from one account to another of the same or any another bank.
Customers can send money anywhere in India. Once you login to your account, you need to mention
the payees's account number, his bank and the branch. The transfer will take place in a day or so,
whereas in a traditional method, it takes about three working days. ICICI Bank says that online bill
payment service and fund transfer facility have been their most popular online services.
 Credit card customers 
   With Internet banking, customers can not only pay their credit card bills online but also get a loan on
their cards. If you lose your credit card, you can report lost card online. 
 Railway pass
  This is something that would interest all the aam janta. Indian Railways has tied up with ICICI bank
and you can now make your railway pass for local trains online. The pass will be delivered to you at
your doorstep. But the facility is limited to Mumbai, Thane, Nashik, Surat and Pune.  
 Investing through Internet banking 
  You can now open an FD online through funds transfer.Now investors with interlinked demat account
and bank account can easily trade in the stock market and the amount will be automatically debited
from their respective bank accounts and the shares will be credited in their demat account. Moreover,
some banks even give you the facility to purchase mutual funds directly from the online banking
system. 
  Nowadays, most leading banks offer both online banking and demat account. However if you have
your demat account with independent share brokers, then you need to sign a special form, which will
link your two accounts.
 Recharging your prepaid phone
Now  just top-up your prepaid mobile cards by logging in to Internet banking. By just selecting your
operator's name, entering your mobile number and the amount for recharge, your phone is again back
in action within few minutes.
 Shopping 
   With a range of all kind of products, you can shop online and the payment is also made conveniently
through your account. You can also buy railway and air tickets through Internet banking. 
  Advantage of Internet banking  
  As per the Internet and Mobile Association of India's report on online banking 2006, "There are many
advantages of online banking. It is convenient, it isn't bound by operational timings, there are no
geographical barriers and the services can be offered at a miniscule cost."  
  Through Internet banking, you can check your transactions at any time of the day, and as many
times as you want to. Where in a traditional method, you get quarterly statements from the bank.  If
the fund transfer has to be made outstation, where the bank does not have a branch, the bank would
demand outstation charges. Whereas with the help of online banking, it will be absolutely free for you. 
  Security Precautions 
 Customers should never share personal information like PIN numbers, passwords etc with anyone,
including employees of the bank. It is important that documents that contain confidential information
are safeguarded. PIN or password mailers should not be stored, the PIN and/or passwords should be
changed immediately and memorised before destroying the mailers.
 Customers are advised not to provide sensitive account-related information over unsecured e-mails
or over the phone. Take simple precautions like changing the ATM PIN and online login and
transaction passwords on a regular basis. Also ensure that the logged in session is properly signed
out.