Banks lure Gen Next with new schemes

Here is the beginning of my post. And here is the rest of it.With 50% of India’s population consisting of youngsters, bankers are increasingly targeting kids and teens by offering products that meet their requirements. And with a third of the population aged between four and 14 years, kids are playing an important role in purchase decisions from consumer durables to automobiles. “We recognise the changing role of children in purchase decisions and want to harness them by introducing them to banking and money management,” says Maninder Juneja, head-retail liabilities, ICICI Bank. Similarly, HDFC Bank also has a Kids Advantage account. Features include a free education insurance cover upto Rs one lakh. Moreover, amounts in excess of Rs 5,000 over and above a balance of Rs 10,000 gets converted into fixed deposit for a specific period in the child’s name. Even nationalised banks are catering to Gen Next. Indian Bank launched its saving product IB Smart Kid in Aug 2007 targeting kids below 18 years.