The next time you take to the skies, you'll also be able to tick some personal banking errands off your to-do list. With its smart banking concept, Citigroup is using the power of technology to attract Chinese consumers.

The days of traditional branch banking - long queues and deposit slips - may soon be over. According to Citibank, the future of personal banking is digital, and it's taking off right now in China.

Citigroup is pouring investment into consumer banking technology, as part of its mammoth expansion plans in the Asia-Pacific region. From now on, every new Citibank branch will be a "smart banking" set-up like this one, featuring interactive LCD panels, full-service banking gadgets like iPhones and iPads, and real-time video conferencing that provides everything from loan approvals to a wrap-up of the day's market action.

Citi says almost 98 percent of the bank's total transactions in Asia are conducted via non-branch channels. With that in mind, it's no surprise the company is raising its bet on digital banking - and the voracious appetite of Asian consumers for smartphone and tablet technology.

Haidi Lun, Chongqing, said, "Oversized touch screens, free Wi-Fi and iPads at the ready. You'd be forgiven for mistaking this for an Apple store, rather than Citibank's latest 'smart banking' venture in bustling Chongqing Airport. With Citigroup already dependent on emerging economies like China for over half its profits, the bank is hoping the country's infatuation with all things high-tech will keep the customers rolling in."

Citigroup made it through the financial crisis, and back to profit, with the help of a 45 billion U.S. dollar bailout. Now the bank is doggedly determined to become the world's largest emerging-markets financial services company.

The Asia-Pacific region is one of Citigroup's top performers, both in terms of profitability and market share. And the bank is taking aggressive steps to expand in China, opening outlets as quickly as regulators will allow. But an inevitable eventual slowdown in emerging economies like China leaves Citigroup more vulnerable than other financial institutions less vested in these high-growth, high-risk markets.

"Emerging markets' disproportionate growthrisks and benefits."

China opened its banking industry to foreign institutions in December 2006. Along with other emerging economies like Brazil and India, it's now drawing unprecedented interest from overseas lenders, still-traumatized by losses incurred in the global financial crisis.

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