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Shanghai banks to keep quality services after Expo

BANKS in Shanghai have cut clients' queuing time thanks to a revamp of financial services during the World Expo and such quality financial services are expected to remain in the city as it moves towards becoming a global financial hub.

The average queuing period at bank counters has been cut to 15 minutes from 52 minutes before the Expo, according to the Shanghai headquarters of the People's Bank of China, which today summarized good practices during the 184-day Expo wrapping up on October 31.

Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, the world's biggest bank by market value, cut its average waiting time to 11 minutes in the city, according to the central bank.

Long waiting queues was one of the major complaints about banking services in China. To soothe the issue, banks have strongly pushed forward e-banking services to shift part of financial needs off the counter. Meanwhile, more staff members were allocated to retail banking services.

"The Expo-driven good practices and experiences of the financial services industry should not end with the Expo," said Tu Guangshao, a deputy mayor of Shanghai, who is overseeing the financial sector in the city.

The innovation, new concepts and practices should be fully taken advantage of in the post-Expo time to push forward the development of the financial industry in the city, Tu said.

Foreign exchange services, cash withdrawal offers, clean and full bills have all been added to meet a large number of visitors to Shanghai's banks during the Expo, which attracted more than 73 million visitors in six month.

About 5 percent of the Expo visitors are expatriates.

The city has 2,315 bank outlets equipped with foreign exchange services, 489 foreign exchange parlors in hotels and shops and 12 forex outlets in currency-exchange companies.



 

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