HDFC Bank launched Chillr, a mobile app that allows users to instantly transfer money to any contact in their phonebook 24 hours a day, seven days a week.HDFC Bank has partnered with MobME, a Kochi-based technology firm, to launch this app.
Chillr is a first-of-its kind application that is linked directly to the customer’s bank account, so there is no need to worry about filling up a prepaid wallet. No passwords are stored on the phone and it can be accessed only with an M-PIN known to the customer alone. With this app, customers no longer have to ask for account information and wait for a set amount of time in order to add beneficiaries if they wish to transfer money. They can send and request money directly on their mobile.
With Chillr, HDFC Bank customers can transfer money to any person in India, once they download the app and register. The app is widely accessible as it works on Android and iOS operating systems. It will soon be launched for the Windows phone as well.
The app is particularly useful for college students and young professionals. While dining at restaurants, customers, particularly youngsters can split the bill using this app. Parents, whose children are studying away from home in other cities can transfer money via the app. In the near future it will also allow users to pay utility bills and various merchants via the mobile.
Chillr is also an important tool for financial inclusion in rural markets, allowing migrant workers to remit money to family back home in a secure manner. HDFC Bank has also piloted the use of Chillr for its Sustainable Livelihood Initiative (SLI), a programme that reaches out to people at the bottom of the pyramid by providing them with livelihood finance and skills training. The participants running small businesses used the app to make payments to employees, avoiding the hassle of travelling to the nearest ATM to withdraw cash.
Chillr is the latest initiative in HDFC Bank’s digital banking offering christened GoDigital. This campaign began on the banks of the Varanasi last year, with the launch of its ‘Bank Aap Ki Muththi Mein’ offering, which literally converts the mobile phone into a bank branch. Since then the bank has launched a host of innovative digital initiatives. With Chillr, HDFC Bank is adding to its digital product suite.