Will the banks have offices?

In Russia successfully operate multiple lending institutions which are engaged in servicing their clients remotely via the Internet. Visitor gets acquainted with the bank in the network, there enters into a contract and performs all banking operations. For many advanced users "virtual banks" are very comfortable, and the institutions themselves save money on office rent, utilities, health, etc. Thus, the bank without an office is mutually beneficial. On the future development of this trend, we talked with Vice President VTB24 Hope Karisalovoy. - A banker Oleg Tinkoff predicts the future decrease in the number of offices of credit institutions. In his view, customers easier to communicate with the bank by telephone or via the World Wide Web. Can I say that in 2020, most banks will operate without the usual office? - I believe that to begin to develop the banking system and to achieve certain quantitative indicators, such as: the number of banking offices per 100 thousand inhabitants, the number of ATMs per 1000 square meters. km. Only after that should go to the targets of quality growth - electronic banking, the ombudsman institution, etc. - Will your bank to expand its branch network in the coming years? - Currently VTB24 has 513 sales offices throughout the Russian Federation until the end of the year their number will be around 530. Development strategy envisages further expansion of the network until 2013. - What prevents business representatives to remotely use the services of your bank? - Remote service offered VTB24, widely used by customers. About 90% of active clients have remote access to your account. To date VTB24 offers users a choice of two types of e-banking systems: "Client-Bank" (modem connection) and "Client-Bank Online (Internet connection). Both systems provide access to a very wide range of transactions on the account: from simple translation to the free-form. Systems have significant levels of protection and user-friendly interface. At the same distance form the customer service costs are cheaper - the cost of monthly service below an average of 400 rubles. (As at December 2010). - Do you think that if people refuse to plastic bank cards in favor of the virtual? - Virtual Cards - these are the same bank cards, but they are not satisfied in the usual form factor. I think debit cards as a means of accessing funds in a bank (or your debt) will continue for a very long time. But the form factors, whether traveler's checks, credit cards, account details or something else may be changing. The current infrastructure for servicing cards evolved over the years, so that even the form factor "plastic card" to us is not so easy to get rid of - it is necessary to build new or upgrade existing system of card acceptance.