In a customer-oriented move, India's second largest bank, ICICI Bank announced a technical tie-up with the Bangalore based mChek, to provide mobile payment services to its debit and credit cardholders.

Sachin Khandelwal, senior general manager, ICICI Bank, said, "Our association with mChek will offer our credit and debit card customers yet another secure and safe option of conducting hassle free transactions online".

Under the service, the customers would be issued encrypted electronic cards for storing these in their mobile phones. These mChek VISA Credit/Debit cards can be used for various performing card-based transactions like buying air travel tickets, utilities pay payments, prepaid mobile recharges, pay insurance premium, money transfers, book movie or other merchant transactions done using debit or credit cards.

Sanjay Swamy, CEO, mChek said, "We are pleased to launch with ICICI Bank, this association hugely expands the transaction environment for both ICICI Bank and mChek. ICICI Bank customers now have the convenience of doing transactions from their mobile phones anywhere, anytime and with banking grade security."

mChek is a secured mobile payment technology that enables mobiles users to access credit cards on their mobiles. The technology is PCI DSS 1.2 and ISO 27001 certified and has been approved for adoption by the leading international electronic payment network, Visa International for its merchants. It was awarded the "Best Billing and Customer Care Solution" by GSM Association at 2008 Mobile World Congress.

The mchek service can be activated on mobile phones simply by sending an SMS MCHEK to 5676709.