Kathmandu – Inward cheque clearing has long been one of the most demanding operations in banking. Every cheque must pass through rigorous checks for signatures, dates, MICR data, account status, and fund availability all within strict cut-off times. Traditionally seen as a bottleneck, the process has required both accuracy and speed under relentless pressure.

Global IME Bank Limited, which handles an average of 5,500 cheques daily, faced this challenge head-on. Errors or delays in such a high-volume environment could undermine customer trust and strain internal operations. To address this, the Bank launched a bold transformation not merely digitizing the process but redefining it as a benchmark of efficiency and resilience.

The initiative, known as Electronic Cheque Clearing Automation (CCA), was more than a technical upgrade. It represented a strategic redesign of an essential banking service. Leveraging advanced technologies such as Intelligent Character Recognition (ICR), Optical Character Recognition (OCR), Robotic Process Automation (RPA), and seamless integration with the Core Banking System (CBS) via both product and custom Finacle Integrator APIs, the Bank eliminated manual repetition and embedded intelligence at every step of the clearing process.

The impact has been transformative. Global IME Bank has achieved:

• Faster and more accurate clearing
• Significantly reduced error rates
• Enhanced team productivity
• Stronger operational resilience

Most importantly, customers now enjoy a faster, more reliable service experience.

Reflecting on the initiative, Bigyan Adhikari, Head of the Digital Banking Department at Global IME Bank, remarked:

“Inward cheque clearing is a mission-critical process for any bank, and we saw an opportunity not just to automate it but to reimagine it. With CCA, we have turned a bottleneck into a benchmark delivering speed, accuracy, and reliability for our customers while empowering our teams to focus on higher-value tasks.”

For Global IME Bank, this transformation is more than a technological achievement. It is a statement of commitment to innovation, customer trust, and operational excellence redefining what service delivery in banking looks like in the digital era.