Lal Singh: Financial Inclusion
Executive Director, Bank of Baroda
By combining credit, capability, technology and entrepreneurship, Mr Lal Singh has helped redefine Financial Inclusion from opening accounts to opening opportunities and from extending credit to creating enterprises and livelihoods.
As Chairman of the State Level Bankers’ Committee, Uttar Pradesh, he has championed a “Credit Plus” approach that connects finance with skills, self-employment, MSME development, and last-mile access. In FY2025-26, the bank’s MSME portfolio grew 15.6% to ₹1.60 lakh crore.
His contribution to CM YUVA demonstrates this approach. Under his leadership, Bank of Baroda financed 15,379 young entrepreneurs against a target of 11,083, helping translate abilities and ambitions into first-generation enterprises and employment.
He has additionally strengthened Uttar Pradesh’s pioneering Bank Sakhi ecosystem of Banking Correspondents, in which nearly 40,000 women provide doorstep banking services, enabling transactions exceeding ₹40,000 crore and creating meaningful livelihoods for women.
His efforts have proven that financial inclusion is a powerful pathway to enterprise, livelihoods and economic empowerment.