Expressing optimism over Indian financial system, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das has said it is in a ‘much stronger position’, characterised by robust capital adequacy, low levels of non-performing assets, and healthy profitability of banks and non-banking lenders. Underscoring the imperative of fostering a future-ready ethos within the financial sector, Das also stressed the critical role of timely supervisory intervention in mitigating systemic risks.
He added ‘I would like to compliment the banks and other financial sector entities for such a stellar performance in the year which has just ended on March 31. There is absolutely no room for complacency because the world is changing, challenges are coming, complexities are growing, and problems can originate from any corner of the financial system within the country, or the world because of something which may be completely unrelated to you and me.’
He highlighted the pivotal role of AI and machine learning in fraud prevention and operational efficiencies, underscoring the need for secure technological integrations aligned with business goals. Das stated 'AI and ML can enhance predictive analytics and enable banks and NBFCs to identify potential risks and trends more accurately. These technologies can improve fraud detection by recognising unusual patterns and transactions in realtime. Thus, they can protect the institutions and their customers from financial crimes and frauds.'
He further added ‘Operational efficiency can be improved through automation of routine tasks, which reduces human error and frees up resources for more strategic activities. Robotic process automation (RPA) can handle high-volume and repetitive tasks, such as data entry and transaction processing, more quickly and accurately than humans.’ Looking ahead, Governor Das outlined RBI's commitment to regulatory stability, emphasizing a thematic and activity-based supervisory approach.