Suresh Samrat
Business Correspondents / Business Facilitators
INTRODUCTION:
In order to ensure financial inclusion, several initiatives have been taken by the Government. of India and Reserve Bank of India. Business Correspondents (BCs) play an important role in achieving financial inclusion. The BCs act as a bridge between Bank branches and the people in the area. A BC is the first point of contact and the front face of the bank branch to the people. In order to enable the BCs to be more effective, they need to be imparted the desired level of knowledge. In this context, the Indian Institute of Banking & Finance (IIBF) has developed the Certificate Examination for Business Correspondents/Business Facilitators in two levels: Basic & Advanced Certifications.
OBJECTIVE:
This course is aimed at providing the knowledge inputs and skills set to BCs/BFs. The structure of the courses are, therefore to provide basic knowledge in banking operations and help the BCS/BFs in developing an overall understanding of the subject.
METHODOLOGY:
This Course has two components viz..
Physical/Virtual Classroom Training..
Online examination for 50 marks for Basic Course and 100 marks for Advanced Course based on a specially designed courseware on Inclusive Banking.
b
CERTIFICATION PROCESS:
RBI has designated IIBF as the sole certifying agency for the SCBs (including RRBs), SFBs and the Payments Banks. For obtaining the certificate, a candidate should:
1. Register with the training Institute and undergo 28 hours of training for the Basic Certification and 42 hours of training for the Advanced certification, as the case may
be 2. After successful completion of the training, apply for the Basic/Advanced certification
Examination of the Institute;
3. Appear and pass the Examination;
There will be two distinct certifications as under
Basic certification: This certification is to be undertaken by the BC Agents who handle only
basic transactions like payment transactions, cash-in cash-out, remittances, etc.
• Advanced certification: This certification is to be undertaken by BC Agents who will be acting
as full-fledged BC's covering all the activities as prescribed by the regulator.
A. TRAINING FOR BCS/BFs:
Training of BC/BF Agents is mandatory before appearing for the certification. The mandatory training can be provided by the following institutes, as mandated by RBI.
a) Bankers Institute of Rural Development (BIRD)
b) National Institute for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (NIESBUD). Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MoSDE)