Why do banks need to own and manage their IT infrastructure?
Seeking to bust this long-standing tradition, C-Edge took upon itself a mission to create a platform on the cloud by virtue of which banks can avail of best in class banking solutions on-the-tap. While the C-Edge ASP model did prove its capability to change the manner in which IT services were provided, it has taken Banks time to embrace it’s potential and go for it in a big way. Today the clients of C-Edge have leap-frogged into world-class technology and are at par with the best banks in the country. This creates a strong value proposition for new banks and the forthcoming payment banks.
“We believe that by providing high-quality solutions in a cost-effective model, C-Edge has made banks competitive and customer-friendly. Today we are the largest player in this space with 150+ banks serving more than 11,000 branches across the length and breadth of the country. C-edge has penetrated the remotest parts of the country and has created a unique model for inclusion of banks” says K Krishna Kumar, CEO, C-Edge Technologies Ltd.
C-Edge, a joint venture between Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. (TCS) and State Bank of India (SBI), is a full services player providing a comprehensive range of services. The company takes responsibility for all the 3-pillars comprising - Technology, Infrastructure and Operations, thereby enabling the banks to focus on their core business of Banking.
C-Edge has played a major role in the transformation of way business is conducted at SME banks. “We always felt that the banks in the SME category were plagued by fly-by-night operators who are financially and technologically weak to provide long-term technical support, technology upgrades and training required by the banks. By focusing on the same, we act as a complete backbone of these banks.” shares Kumar.
It has been C-Edge’s endeavor to bring banking services such as electronic remittances, RUpay cards, delivery channels, kiosks etc. hitherto unknown in the rural areas.

Remaining relevant!
Apart from CBS, C-Edge has also developed and implemented a host of adjacent services to meet the growing needs of the Banks in the areas of channels, compliance, risk management, payment solutions, regulatory reporting & management dashboards.
The future road map of the company includes extending the range of services to meet the varying needs of the Banks on its platform especially in the area of payment systems, interface to new technologies and capabilities, introducing new products and thereby moving up the value chain. The company is increasingly moving towards addressing the concerns of the management of banks to include insights into customer behavior, trends in NPA management, fraud prevention and operational risk management. The future road map of the Company will thus be driven by the trends in banking and financial services and the Company expects to grow the range of its services, as it increasingly aspires to remain relevant to its customers.
In a time when everyday a new technology is on the horizon waiting to be explored, C-Edge keeps track of the recent developments in technology and plans in advance to deploy revolutionary solutions adhering to the compliance guidelines. Foreseeing the future, C-Edge has already developed a product for Automated Data Flow (ADF) which is strongly mandated for the larger banks. The product also helps the Banks to independently generate MIS of their operations, on aspects relevant to the top management. “We always want to be one step ahead of what the banks need now - we expect that the banks would have to go for these solutions in future and invest in creating the capability today. We see banks transforming into digital players having stricter requirements of governance & compliance and requiring business analytical tools to compete in the market. The emergence of hybrid banking entities has blurred lines of conventional banking.” envisions Kumar.

Agile Cloud Banking – A compelling Model in the current times
By proving that this model is flexible and scalable from single branch banking to 1000 branch banking, C-Edge is posing a serious question to existing banks of the relevance of owning technology at a high cost. Obsolescence in a blink of the eye creates a formidable challenge to banks that are invested in older technologies and yet are seeking considerable benefits from deploying latest technology to their advantage in an innovative manner. This can be considered by banks looking at renewals of existing contracts.
New entrants in the Indian banking market should seriously evaluate this option, since they are not yet burdened by legacies!!