2010, July 31 - 10:17

Standard Chartered Bank and ICICI Bank have been penalized with five lacs of rupees each by the Reserve Bank of India as both the banks have violated banking rules. 

India’s biggest money lender ICICI bank was penalized for braking Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti Money Laundering (AML) rules. Standard Chartered bank, which is one of the leading foreign banks of India, has been penalized as it did not provide with information on a foreign currency loan, which the bank has arranged for special purpose vehicle meant to go offshore within the set time. 

RBI took action against the lenders, empowered by the Banking Regulation Act of nineteen forty nine.

On ninth of April 2009 ICICI Bank had been issued a show cause notice by RBI.

According to the Central Bank’s statement on Friday, based on scrutiny of ICICI’s replies and verbal submission that it made during a personal hearing held on third of August 2009 RBI had reached the conclusion that ICICI Bank had violated norms.

According to an ICICI spokesperson, RBI had brought in the charges of violations regarding a single customer account .For opening that account ICICI received a government issued identity card from the customer and the bank obtained an introduction of the new customer from an existing customer.

According to him, RBI refuted their logic saying that the introduction by an existing customer regarding the matter of address proof was not according to guidelines.

Likewise Standard Chartered Bank was also issued a show cause notice by the RBI on thirtieth of March 2010. Standard Chartered had given their logic in writing. The bank was asked to give their verbal submission on twentieth of April 2010 but somehow RBI was not impressed by the arguments that have been put forwarded by the bank, and thus the bank got fined.