In an RTI reply, Union Bank of India has informed about the bank’s spending on software, hardware, and maintenance. The bank provided financial year-wise expenditure for software purchases, hardware purchases, and maintenance of software (excluding Finacle). However, it refused to share some details, stating that they are commercially sensitive or not available in the requested format.
Software Purchase Cost
The bank shared the total amount spent on purchasing new software during different financial years.
| Financial Year | Software Cost (₹ Crore) |
|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 200.96 |
| 2024-25 | 248.48 |
| 2023-24 | 79.92 |
| 2022-23 | 83.81 |
| 2021-22 | 86.91 |
| 2020-21 | 258.00 |
| 2019-20 | 119.29 |
Hardware Purchase Cost
Union Bank also disclosed its expenditure on purchasing new hardware during the same period.
| Financial Year | Hardware Cost (₹ Crore) |
|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 279.43 |
| 2024-25 | 300.60 |
| 2023-24 | 224.19 |
| 2022-23 | 170.79 |
| 2021-22 | 144.24 |
| 2020-21 | 91.28 |
| 2019-20 | 30.25 |
Finacle Software Maintenance Cost
The RTI applicant asked for the maintenance cost of Finacle software. The bank refused to provide this information, stating that it is commercially confidential and contains trade secrets. According to the bank, disclosing these details could affect its competitive position, so the information is exempt from disclosure under Section 8(1)(d) of the Right to Information Act, 2005.
Other Software Maintenance Cost
The bank provided the maintenance cost for software other than Finacle.
| Financial Year | Other Software Maintenance (₹ Crore) |
|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 137.38 |
| 2024-25 | 183.25 |
| 2023-24 | 72.46 |
| 2022-23 | 69.12 |
| 2021-22 | 72.17 |
| 2020-21 | 52.76 |
| 2019-20 | 28.72 |
Details of Individual Software Purchases
The applicant also requested the names of the software purchased during FY 2025-26 and the cost of each software. The bank denied this request, saying that the information is commercially confidential and protected under Section 8(1)(d) of the RTI Act because it contains trade secrets.
Union Ease Mobile Application Maintenance Cost
The applicant asked for the maintenance cost involved in converting the banking application from Union Mobile to Union Ease. The bank replied that the request was not clear because it did not specify the exact application or conversion. Therefore, the information could not be identified, and the request could not be processed under the RTI Act.
