Missed call to pay bills, courtesy HDFC Bank

MUMBAI: Soon the 'new bill' alert sent by banks in a text message will come with a telephone number, which when dialled will pay the bill from the recipient's account with a missed call. HDFC Bank is adding bill payments and recurring deposits to its repertoire of 'missed call' banking services.

Speaking to TOI, Nitin Chugh, country head of digital banking at HDFC Bank, said that 'missed call' banking services have seen the highest adoption rate among the bank's customers. Customers are checking their account balance, requesting cheque books and acquiring mini statements.

The advantage of the 'missed call' services is that they can be accessed even by those with basic phones. The only requirement is that the mobile number should be registered. With the new Bharat Bill Payment System, bank customers will be able to access and add every utility in the country as a registered biller.


Chugh was speaking on the sidelines of a bank event to kick off its second digital innovation summit.

The summit is a contest for fintech companies to win an opportunity to partner with the bank for developing technology. For the second summit, the bank has sought entries on Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality (VR), artificial intelligence (AI), block chain and rural fin-tech.

The bank has also unveiled its mobile humanoid IRA which is an acronym for Intelligent Robotic Assistant, which will assist customers at branches using artificial intelligence.

"We chose to build a humanoid which was designed and built in India rather than importing a mass-produced machine," said Chugh. IRA will be unveiled in one of HDFC Bank's branches in a fortnight.