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        The key framework that      ceditable Sustainability   processes. This could involve   Sustainability Assurance                                                                                                                                               changing times. To meet the   intensify further in the   incumbent financial     provide cutting edge &                journey, banks must align themselves    Implementing digital technologies   transparent and mor
        governs sustainability      Reporting practices.       promoting the use of digital   Engagements (SSAE) 3000, 16      Future Frontiers:                                                                                                                      demands of increasingly digital   coming few years and banks   institutions. As the lines   innovative digital banking   towards building products and         will not only help banks drive    cross-border payment
        reporting in India is the                              tools, data analytics, and   Social Audit Standards (SAS                                                                                                                                               and mobile customers, banks   will have to take bolder steps   between technology and   solutions to all our           services to ensure that internal        operational efficiencies internally   would deliver wid
        ‘Business Responsibility and   In the above backdrop,   artificial intelligence to collect,   100 to 1600), Sustainability                                                                                                                                    are transitioning from     to establish a formidable   business are becoming blur,   customers. YONO, our              processes are optimized and are         and externally, accelerate        for citizens and econ
        Sustainability Report’ (BRSR)   potential focus areas   analyse and report        Reporting Maturity Model                                                                                                                                                    “transactional” to         position in the market.    banks have realized the    flagship mobile banking and           aligned to sustainability goals. From   innovation, reduce costs, retain   worldwide, supportin
        introduced by the Securities   concerning sustainability   ESG-related data.      (SRMM) Framework and has             Competitiveness,                                                                                                                       “interactive” banking that                            importance of technology   lifestyle app, launched in 2017,      a long-term perspective, financial      and grow customers, but will      growth.
        and Exchange Board of India   reporting standards on a                            also started Certification                                                                                                                                                  offer real-time advice and                            innovation and are leveraging   has been very well received      institutions should aim at building a   also lead to more sustainable
        (SEBI). Recently SEBI revised   global level can encompass-  Capacity Building    Course on BRSR. In 2022,                                                                                                                                                    greater convenience. Key   Technology                 it to build novel products and   by our customers and the        sustainable ecosystem covering both     outcomes as a business. This is   UPI is in a prime pos
        its BRSR format, integrating                           Promoting efforts to enhance   ICAI hosted the World                                                                                                                                                   influential technologies that                         services for their customers.   scale of impact can be gauged    external stakeholders i.e customers     what makes sustainable banking a   leveraged for enhanc
        BRSR Core consisting of a set   Harmonization and      the capacity of companies,   Congress of Accountants at         Technology,                                                                                                                            are shaping the industrial   Technology based innovations   It is a win-win proposition for   from the fact that YONO has   and investor’s as well as internal   ‘win-win’ for the banking and   cross-border payments
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     financial services sector.
        of Key Performance          Standardization            especially smaller and     Mumbai, the first ever                                                                                                                                                      competitiveness are        are redefining industries and   both banks and Fintechs to   a cumulative registered user   processes i.e. building products,                                         impact of UPI on cros
        Indicators (KPIs) / metrics   Exploring globally recognized   medium-sized enterprises, to   carbon-neutral Congress.                                                                                                                                         Conversational AI as a     changing the way businesses   collaborate and work much   base of 60 million plus users     services, and internal operations.   In medium-to- long term, sustainable   payments is expecte
        under 9 ESG attributes. From   sustainability reporting   effectively report on their                                                                                                                                                                         service, Artificial Intelligence   function. Digitalization and   more closely to bring   (as on 31.03.2023) and has                                        banking has the power to open up a   significant and simil
        the financial year 2023-24, the   standards to ensure   sustainability performance.  India’s culture is rooted in      Sustainability,                                                                                                                        (AI), Robotic Process      innovative digital technologies   together forces and value for   helped to improve the     Three trends driving the need for    range of benefits, from reducing     of UPI on the domesti
        updated BRSR format is to be   consistency and comparability                      sustainability, as it reflects a                                                                                                                                            Automation (RPA), Internet of   are creating unprecedented   customers.          productivity of the Bank              Sustainability in the Banking        costs, increasing operational        ecosystem. The recent
        used for BRSR disclosure    across different companies   Regulatory Support       philosophy and values that                                                                                                                                                  Things (IoT), Blockchain   disruption in the banking                             through end-to-end                    Industry:                            efficiencies, being more             UPI (India) – PayNow
        adherence as a part of their   and industries.                                    foster a respectful and                                                                                                                                                     technology and Open Banking   sector, and the rate of change   New age technologies such as   digitization. We have started                                 environmentally friendly and         cross-border real-tim
        Annual Reports which is                                Engaging with governments to   harmonious coexistence with      Internationalization                                                                                                                   APIs in addition to Cloud.  is accelerating. In today’s   Artificial Intelligence (AI) and   working on the next       1.  Climate Change:  The effects     retaining existing customers while   system is just one of
        already mandatory for the   Promoting ESG              create an enabling regulatory   nature and its resources. With                                                                                                                                                                    scenario, differentiated and   Machine Learning (ML) are   generation of YONO, which           of climate change are becoming    growing new ones to make business    in this direction to
        leading 1,000 listed entities   Integration in         environment that encourages   this philosophy and values                                                                                                                                               In this digital era, in order to   delightful customer   radically shifting the way   envisages to be a total             more frequent and serious.        operations greener. In order to take   faster, and safer c
        based on market             Decision-Making            companies to adopt and     India is well placed to lead the                                                                                                                                            sustain competitive edge and   experience has become more   banks are working today. With   revamp of YONO not only in    Customers are expecting banks     advantage of these benefits, banks   payments and remittan
        capitalization. Notably, SEBI                          implement high-quality     G20 and global agenda of                                                                                                                                                    leadership position,       important than just providing   powerful AI tools, banks are   terms of features and           to embrace environmental          and financial institutions of all shapes   businesses and
        has now outlined that       Beyond reporting, the B20   sustainability reporting   sustainability.                                                                                                                                                            characteristics such as    basic financial services. The   able to make informed   functionality, but also in terms       commitments to mitigate the       and sizes must incorporate           between bank accounts
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                impacts of climate change. Banks
        commencing from the         could encourage businesses   standards.                                                                                                                                                                                           providing a wide range of   traditional banking model is   decisions faster by using   of ease of use and customer        have a responsibility to reduce   Environmental, Social and Corporate   The facility is expe
        financial year 2023-24      to integrate ESG                                                                                                                                                                                                                  services to customers,     being reimagined as        predictive analysis, improve   experience. The focus of the         both their direct and indirect    Governance (ESG) into their          the Indian diaspora t
        foremost 150 listed entities   considerations into their   As a key partner for B20                                    Competitiveness            The competition is just not                                                                                 fulfilling and exceeding clients'   innovations in technology   customer service   next generation of YONO                carbon footprint. Direct          business strategies holistically and   quick and cost-effi
        shall mandatorily undertake   strategic decision-making   India, The Institute of                                                                 between private and public                                                                                  expectations and providing a   continue to redefine what it   tremendously and also offer   shall be on customer-centric   emissions relate to a bank's     make sure that sustainability is     transactions. Banks i
        reasonable assurance of the   processes. This would involve   Chartered Accountants of                                                            sector banks but also with                                                                                  modern and intuitive mobile   means to be a financial   tailor-made solutions to   design, Hyper- personalized            internal operations, staff and    prioritised across all areas of the   collaborating and pa
        BRSR Core, which will       recognizing the business value   India (ICAI) is a member of                               T   he process of banking   other FinTechs, InsurTechs,                                                                                experience to users are    institution and Banks have   customers. The introduction   experience, innovative              offices. Indirect emissions from   bank, both internally and externally.  faster payment rai
        gradually to be adopted by all   of sustainability and its   the ESG Action Council and                                    digitalization has become   and BigTech firms who are                                                                              crucial. Clearly, banks that are                      of Chatbots are helping banks   product offerings,                  banking activities include funding                                     Payments Interface (U
 oday the world is   performance by companies.   potential to drive innovation,   actively engages in diverse                  an integral part of the    expanding their financial                                                                                                              been increasingly leveraging
 concerned about   India, as a growing economy is   1000 companies by the   risk management, and   policy-making endeavors     strategic plans and decisions   services offerings, leveraging                                                                         investing in customer      technology to provide a    to reduce time and effort of   modernization of tech stack,         (through loans) businesses that                                        cross-border payment
 environmental and social   taking major steps to   2026-27.   long-term resilience.  within the B20 framework.                for majority of banks. There   new technologies, and are                                                                               experience are seeing a larger   better customer experience.  human capital and provide   and leveraging AI/ML, Cloud     actively contribute to the climate   Internationalization              which has a potential
 impact made by businesses.   strengthen sustainability        The ICAI has been actively                                      has been an accelerated    gaining market share in-line                                                                                wallet share, higher rates of                         quick and consistent service   and Data Analytics for digital       crisis.                                                                increase the accessib
 The future of global economy   reporting framework. The   Furthermore, disclosure of   Stakeholder Engagement  promoting sustainability   progress in digital   with emerging business                                                                               recommendations and are    Today, digitalization & digital   and at the same time save   transformation in order to    2.   Reputation: Consumer                                                 cross-border payments
 lies on the path of sustainable   evolution of sustainability   ESG aspects within the value   reporting in India through     technologies, which inevitably   models. Banks are also trying                                                                         more likely to up-sell or   innovations have become a   huge operational costs.   benchmark YONO with the                 demands are a major driver for    Globalization has increased          costs and simplify th
 development, as it is   reporting, from an voluntary   chain will be obligatory for   Emphasizing the importance   various initiatives. One of the   led to an increase in   to reorient themselves by                                                               cross-sell products and    strategic priority for the   Further, a number of industry   best of Global/ Indian digital    more sustainable banking          international trade and allows       cross-border person-t
 paramount to bring   activity to a structured and   the foremost 250 listed   of engaging with stakeholders,   leading initiatives was   competition in the field of   setting up large innovation                                                                   services to existing       banking industry. There is a   level technological & other   banking propositions.             operations. The next generation   companies to connect stronger with   (P2P) payment process
 Environmental, Social and   standardized practice, reflects   entities commencing from the   including investors, employees,   establishment of Sustainability   financial services. All banks   departments, new fintech                                            customers.                 deep realisation among banks   critical industry changes like                                  of consumers is also demanding    consumers and partners across the
 Governance (ESG)   the commitment of the nation   financial year 2024-25, on a   communities and customers   Reporting Standards Board   are striving to adopt new   strategies and a change in                                                                                                 that the scale and adoption of   emergence of FinTechs and                                     that banks place greater          globe. As a result, the world has    Another innovation th
 consideration as the focal   to the cause.   comply-or-explain basis. These   to understand their concerns   (SRSB) in 2020, with the aim   technologies as soon as   culture to adapt to the                                                                        Banks that can design their   digital transformation needs   Neo Banks, Seamless   Sustainability                         emphasis on going green. Banks    witnessed more competition and       internationalization
 point of financial reporting to   disclosures of value chain will   and expectations regarding   of formulating comprehensive,   possible and to introduce                                                                                                           operations, processes and   to take a quantum jump to   Onboarding based on Video                                         with weak sustainable targets     companies look for new               chains in payments. W
 counter climate change and   also require limited assurance   sustainability performance.  globally comparable, and           new digital products. By now,                                                                                                          strategies with clarity in the   keep pace with the new   KYC, Digital Lending,   The banking industry in India           risk facing public criticism.     opportunities outside its own        payments are set to b
 make earth a better place for   from 2025-26. These steps     understandable standards for                                    it is imperative that banks                                                                                                            direction, speed and agility of   technology paradigm. Banks   AI/Machine Learning,   has a positive influence on the                                       borders to stay competitive. Banking   secure and processe
 all.   would mandate the industry   Integrating Technology                                                                    that are focusing on digital                                                                                                           execution, while keeping   that have digital frameworks   Analytics, Big Data, Blockchain   country’s socio-economic   3.   Technological                   industry is also experiencing high   facilitating money tr
        to make committed transition   and Innovation          measuring and disclosing                                                                                                                                                                               customer at the centre, can   in place and are part of wider   and Cloud will continue to be   progress and development   advancements: Growth in           competition due to digital           of the distance betwe
        towards sustainability                                 non-financial information                                       functionalities have a greater                                                                                                         capitalize on the current shifts                      the biggest transformational                                        innovative technologies is a      technologies.                        and receiver. Distrib
 Sustainability reporting           The B20 could explore how   about an entity’s progress                                     chance of increasing revenues                                                                                                                                     digital ecosystems have a                             and have an important role to
 standards is a significant topic   reporting. These   technology and innovation   towards the United Nations                  and achieve reduction of                                                                                                               in the market and have a clear   clear competitive advantage   enablers that will encourage   play in leading the financial   golden opportunity for banks to                                    Technology (DLT) and
 of discussion within the B20   developments indicate   can be leveraged to improve   SDG 2030. The ICAI has                   costs.                                                                                                                                 competitive advantage over   with continued agility,   banks to not only achieve   services ecosystem towards             build on sustainable digitisation.   With global economies becoming    have developed consid
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Banks should leverage digital
 and the broader business   regulators resolve towards   sustainability reporting   developed Standard on                                                                                                                                                             other players in the market.   innovation, and digital   core technological      sustainability. Sustainable              technologies to drive sustainable   increasingly connected, there is   features and complexi
 community. These standards   adopting and put in place                                                                                                                                                                                                               Modernization of technology   transformation.         transformations but also   banking is a win-win for both            outcomes. Some of the initiatives   growing demand for a fast, secure   seamless payment sol
 focus on the transparency and                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        at banks is also no                                   seamlessly reinvent the user   financial institutions as well as    to drive such change includes     and efficient cross-border payments   (including Cross bor
 disclosure of ESG                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    longer wishful thinking but is   BigTechs / FinTechs have   experience.          the industries and the                   intelligent automation,           system. The cost and speed of        to both retail and co
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      taking place rapidly across the   emerged as successful players                  economy. For a successful                                                  delivery strongly influence the      customers.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      industry. The competition in   and are now competing with   In SBI, it has been our   sustainability transformation       digitisation of paper processes   customer’s final selection of
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      banking is expected to                                continuous endeavour to                                             and machine learning.             payment mode. Faster, cheaper, more
                                                                                                                                 Mr Dinesh Khara, Chairman,
                                                                                                                                 State Bank of India (SBI)


        36   ANALYSIS, RESEARCH, THOUGHT LEADERSHIP & ADVOCACY                                                                                                                                               ANALYSIS, RESEARCH, THOUGHT LEADERSHIP & ADVOCACY  37
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