K G Karmakar: Development Banking

With 13,363 branches, 25,000 ATMs and over 200,000 employees, the State Bank of India is India’s largest commercial bank with one of the largest core-banking installations worldwide. SBI recognised technology as a tool to make it more customer-focused, to ensure customer retention and to enhance customer acquisition. None other than its Chairman O P Bhatt has motivated this focus at the State Bank of India. The bank has applied technology to have a competitive edge over the private banks, make operations more efficient, to reach the unbanked and spur economic growth. Team Skoch has observed O P Bhatt since 2004 – when he was Chief General Manager, North East.