The Department of Financial Services (DFS), Ministry of Finance, organised PSB Manthan 2025 from 12 September to 13 September 2025. It was a two-day programme in Gurugram, Haryana. The event was chaired by the DFS Secretary and was attended by leaders from the public and private financial sector, regulators, policymakers, academicians, industry experts, technologists, and practitioners.
Senior dignitaries included Shri Swaminathan J., Deputy Governor, RBI; Dr. V. Anantha Nageswaran, Chief Economic Adviser; Shri M. Damodaran, Former Chairman, SEBI; Shri Debasish Panda, Former Chairman, IRDAI; former RBI Deputy Governors Shri R Gandhi, Shri N. S. Vishwanathan, and Shri M. K. Jain; and former SBI Chairmen Shri Rajnish Kumar and Shri Dinesh Kumar Khara, among other thought leaders.
In his opening address, the DFS Secretary underlined that Public Sector Banks (PSBs) have successfully moved beyond the earlier phase of survival and stability. Today, they are positioned to play a larger role as:
- Champions of growth and innovation
- Drivers of inclusive development
- Leaders in both traditional and emerging sectors
He stated that PSBs should aspire towards global competitiveness, build operational resilience, and emerge as sectoral champions and support India’s journey towards Viksit Bharat 2047.
PSB Manthan 2025 featured:
- Seven panel discussions
- Three expert sessions
- A fireside chat
- Open house interactions
The themes revolved around:
- Customer experience and digital journeys
- Governance and operational excellence
- Purposeful innovation and credit growth
- Risk management frameworks
- Workforce readiness and HR training
- Technology modernisation and cyber resilience
- Alignment with national priorities and emerging industries
Reimagining Customer-Centric Banking
Speakers emphasised that the future of PSBs lies in customer centricity. Public Sector Banks have been asked to improve customer service and introduce more customer centric products. Some of the advice given to PSB is:
- PSBs have been asked to simplify their processes
- Timely resolve the grievances of customers
- Seamless, end-to-end digital service delivery
- Hyper-personalised products for diverse customer groups
Technology should not merely digitise existing processes, but must be used to build trust, inclusiveness, and efficiency.
Technology Modernisation: Beyond Legacy Systems
Public Sector Banks (PSBs) have been asked to migrate from legacy systems to agile and interoperable digital platforms and improve cyber resilience.
PSBs have been asked to integrate seamlessly with India’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and develop AI governance frameworks, ensuring responsible AI adoption with robust safeguards against risks.
PSBs have also been asked to avoid vendor lock-in by working with open and interoperable technology partners.
PSBs asked to ensure growth in sunrise sectors
PSBs have been encouraged to deepen their strengths in agriculture, MSMEs, housing, and infrastructure. At the same time, they must expand to enable growth in sunrise sectors, such as:
- Renewable energy
- Electric mobility
- Green hydrogen
- Semiconductors
- Shipbuilding
- Digital industries
This sectoral expansion will help PSBs serve as key enablers of India’s future economic growth.
PSBs have been asked to collaborate with fintechs, academia, global institutions, entrepreneurs to improve the innovation and working.
- Collaborate with fintechs for digital innovation
- Collaborate with academia for research and knowledge sharing
- Collaborate with global institutions for best practices
- Collaborate with entrepreneurs to create tailored solutions
Such partnerships can accelerate PSBs’ transformation into globally competitive institutions.
Human Capital and Workforce Readiness
The discussions underlined the significance of Continuous HR training and reskilling, Equipping employees for a rapidly evolving digital banking landscape andBuilding a workforce that is inclusive, agile, and future-ready.
Outcome of PSB Manthan 2025
An important outcome of PSB Manthan 2025 was the emergence of a shared sense of direction for PSBs. The event:
- Set immediate priorities around governance, customer service, technology adoption, and credit growth.
- Outlined a long-term pathway for PSBs to evolve into globally competitive institutions.
- Reaffirmed PSBs’ central role in advancing financial inclusion and national priorities.
Towards Viksit Bharat 2047
PSB Manthan 2025 reaffirmed that the future of Indian banking will be shaped by Bold ambitions, Transformative purpose and Global aspirations.
Public Sector Banks will not only remain central to India’s growth but also emerge as institutions of global standing, supporting Indian enterprises worldwide and contributing to the realisation of Viksit Bharat 2047.
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