The United Bank of India [Get Quote] is all set to implement ATMs with biometric devices as the solution in the ongoing effort to offer banking services to the rural masses.

Sources at the bank told Business Standard that talks were on with 2-3 vendors and the final decision is expected in the next 2-3 weeks.

Initially the Biometric ATMs would be launched in a pilot basis in the districts where it is the lead bank.

UBI is the lead bank in several districts of West Bengal such as Malda, East and West Midnapore, Bankura Purulia and Nadia.

"A district in a close proximity of Kolkata would be targeted for the launch, so as to monitor the progress closely," sources at the bank claimed

According to the sources, the banks is going all out in providing a user-friendly banking experience, as a part of the Financial Inclusion process.

The biometric ATM would be replacing personal identity number with thumb impression and a fingerprint scanner would be fitted in the machine, which would recognise the customers' thumb impression.

This would enable the identification of a rural depositor and subsequently, it would be possible for the rural illiterate people to be a part of banking user community.

According to the sources the bank has registered a growth of 40 per cent in the Kisan Credit Card section in the last fiscal.

In the quarter, ending in March 2007 the total credit sanctioned by the bank under KCC crop loans was Rs 13,322.22 lakh against 16,299 new accounts Whereas the total aggregate credit limit sanctioned since its inception amounted to Rs 52,171.46 lakh, against 2,87,759 accounts.

Meanwhile, UBI, is all set tie up with the IDBI Capital Market Services Ltd to start online share trading services  According to sources, the process would start after system integration issues were sorted out and the tie up would be on a mutual revenue sharing basis.