ICICI moves its base to Handsworth
ICICI Bank UK has relocated its Birmingham operation from Colmore Row to Handsworth. It says the move will bring it closer to Indian businesses, savers and investors.
Its new branch in Soho Road was unveiled at a ceremony attended by Birmingham City Council leader Mike Whitby and C Gururaj Rao, consul general of India.
ICICI - the largest private sector bank in India - said the decision to re-locate was a strategic one, in recognition of the large number of Indian account holders it serves through the branch.
The new branch will offer a portfolio of business banking services, including a relationship manager for businesses, multi-currency accounts and international money transfers. ICICI Bank also hosts a real-time platform for online foreign currency exchange, FXOnline.
Speaking at the launch, Whitby said: “People from India are generally entrepreneurial and energetic and work very hard. I respect those attributes and also their philanthropy.
“People who have left India and have prospered in Birmingham have invested in the city and it is a relationship that benefits us all.”
Shantose Kaur, president of the Institute of Asian Business, told the gathering there are trading opportunities for both sides and suggested the “huge success of Jaguar Land Rover”, which is owned by India’s Tata, will be emulated elsewhere.
Guraraj Rao talked about the close ties he has forged with Birmingham City Council and revealed that an ‘Incredible India’ exhibition will be staged in the city in August. “This is a win-win situation,” he said.
