As a banker in a Public Sector Bank (PSB), I’ve witnessed an unparalleled transformation in the Indian banking landscape over the last three years (2022–2025). This period hasn't just been about incremental change; it has marked a true structural overhaul—a "Great Leap Forward"—driven by digital public infrastructure (DPI), robust regulatory reforms, and a fundamental cleanup of our balance sheets. For PSBs, this journey has been one of resurgence, moving from an era of stressed assets to one of sustained profitability and high-velocity credit growth.
The Digital Revolution: DPI as the Backbone of Finance
The most palpable change for a frontline banker is the complete shift in how transactions and customer interactions are managed, largely thanks to India's DPI.
Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and Beyond
UPI remains the undisputed champion, with transaction volumes soaring to unprecedented levels (crossing 20 billion monthly transactions by August 2025). What’s new, however, is the depth of its integration. UPI is no longer just for person-to-person payments; it is evolving to facilitate:
Offline and Feature Phone Payments: Enhancing financial inclusion for users in Tier-II, III, and rural areas who may not have constant internet access or smartphones.
e-RUPI and CBDC Pilot: The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) push for a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) has seen pilot programs, positioning us at the forefront of digital currency experimentation globally.
Open Networks: Account Aggregator and ONDC
The emergence of two new open frameworks is fundamentally changing how credit is assessed and commerce is conducted:
Account Aggregator (AA) Framework: This has been a game-changer for credit delivery. As a Financial Information User (FIU), our PSB can now, with the customer’s explicit, revocable consent, pull authenticated financial data (bank statements, tax returns, insurance details) from Financial Information Providers (FIPs). This transition from a document-driven process to a consent-based, data-driven one has significantly reduced the friction and turnaround time for retail and MSME loan underwriting, ensuring better risk assessment and a superior customer experience.
Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC): While primarily a commerce initiative, ONDC's impact on banking is profound. By standardizing catalogue, inventory, and order management, it creates an ecosystem where small businesses can be easily discovered. For us, the banker, this opens the door to embedded finance—providing credit, insurance, and working capital solutions directly at the point of commerce on the network, thereby expanding our lending reach to verified, digitally active MSMEs.
A Clean and Stronger Balance Sheet
The operational and financial resurgence of PSBs is largely attributable to the relentless focus on asset quality and governance.
NPA Cleanup and Credit Growth
The results are staggering: the Gross Non-Performing Asset (GNPA) ratio for PSBs has shown a dramatic reduction, falling from 9.11% in March 2021 to a provisional 2.58% by March 2025. This is a direct outcome of the twin-engines of reform:
Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC): Continued effectiveness of the IBC has instilled robust credit discipline.
The ‘Bad Bank’ (NARCL-IDRCL): The operationalisation of the National Asset Reconstruction Company Limited (NARCL) and the India Debt Resolution Company Ltd. (IDRCL) is a critical development. By the end of 2024, NARCL had managed over ₹1 lakh crore of identified legacy bad loans. This dedicated structure allows PSBs to de-clog their balance sheets of large, complex stressed assets (₹500 crore and above), freeing up significant management bandwidth to focus on core lending activities and business growth.
This cleanup has restored market confidence, leading to robust credit growth, especially in the retail and MSME segments.
Governance and Regulatory Modernisation
The government and RBI have actively worked to modernise the legal framework, notably with the Banking Laws (Amendment) Act, 2025. Key provisions, effective from August 1, 2025, aim to:
Improve Audit Quality: Allowing PSBs to offer higher remuneration to statutory auditors, which is vital for attracting top-tier talent and enhancing the independence and quality of bank audits.
Enhanced Compliance: Aligning PSBs with the Companies Act for transferring unclaimed funds to the Investor Education and Protection Fund (IEPF), streamlining our reporting and investor protection standards.
EASE Reforms: Continued implementation of the Enhanced Access and Service Excellence (EASE) reforms has professionalised governance, promoted data-driven lending, and fostered a performance-oriented culture within PSBs.
Future-Ready Banking: ESG and Sustainable Finance
A crucial, forward-looking development is the institutionalisation of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations and the strong push for Green Finance.
In line with India’s ambitious climate targets, including the 2070 net-zero goal, PSBs are actively integrating ESG into their credit assessment and operational strategy. We are now seeing:
Green Lending: A significant increase in financing renewable energy projects, energy-efficient infrastructure, and electric vehicle adoption.
Green Bonds: Several PSBs have successfully issued Green Bonds, mobilising capital specifically for sustainable projects, positioning Indian banking as a key global player in climate finance.
Internal Sustainability: Banks are adopting green banking practices themselves, such as reducing our carbon footprint through paperless transactions and investing in energy-efficient branch infrastructure.
This shift ensures that our lending portfolio not only generates healthy returns but also contributes positively to the nation’s sustainable development goals.
In conclusion, the last three years have redefined the role of a PSB in the Indian economy. We have successfully leveraged the national DPI to drive unprecedented financial inclusion and efficiency, cleaned up our legacy issues through dedicated institutions like NARCL, and adopted a modern, compliant, and forward-looking governance structure. The PSB sector today is healthier, more agile, and poised to be the primary growth engine for the next phase of India’s economic journey. The focus remains on leveraging technology to enhance last-mile delivery and ensuring that responsible credit and robust risk management remain the cornerstones of this new, vibrant banking epoch.