The Sardar Bhiladwala Pardi People's Co-operative Bank Ltd. (SBPPCB), one of the leading co-operative banks in Gujarat, has signed a ten year IT services contract with IBM.

The contract, a pay-as-you-go model, will enable the bank to save up to 50 per cent in its capital expenditure on IT infrastructure. As part of the agreement, IBM will provide server management, network and security management, backup and database management.

Established in 1929, the SBPPCB’s main objective is to help improve the lives of farmers, small traders and artisans.

Mr. Hemant M Desai, managing director of SBPPCB, commented: "This model will set a good example for other co-operative banks for evaluating the core banking system with predictable and low expenditure as well as obtaining a high level of technology expertise."