fter giving market leader State Bank of India (SBI) a run for its money in the cities, ICICI Bank is turning its attention to the countryside. The No 2 bank in the country is taking technology to the rural areas in a big way.

"We believe the next spurt of economic growth will come from rural India," says Ashish Goel, assistant general manager, ICICI Bank, adding, "We consider the rural economy a canvas which is much larger than agriculture. Of the Rs 14.4 trillion contributed by rural India to the country's GDP, Rs 8 trillion is from non-agricultural activities." ... more