SBI Chief Calls for National Financial Grid to Boost MSME Credit Access

By siliconindia  |  Wednesday, November 19, 2025

SBI Chief Calls for National Financial Grid to Boost MSME Credit Access
  • SBI chairman urges creation of a unified national financial grid
  • Proposes new payment intelligence body to fight fraud
  • Calls for digital twins to expand MSME credit access

State Bank of India Chairman CS Setty has called for building a national financial grid to unify India’s key financial infrastructure. Speaking at the CII Financing Summit, he said the country needs a single secure layer that connects credit bureaus, fraud registries, eKYC systems, UPI and account aggregator networks. According to him, this would create seamless access to financial data and boost transparency across the ecosystem.

Setty noted that the existing ULI framework is a positive step, but needs to evolve into an open-access grid that benefits banks, financial institutions and small businesses. He stressed that millions of MSMEs still face challenges while seeking credit. To solve this, he suggested building 'digital twins' for every MSME, real-time financial identities that combine GST records, IT filings, bank transactions and utility bill history. This, he said, would help lenders make faster and more accurate credit decisions.

The SBI chairman also proposed setting up the Indian Digital Payment Intelligence Corporation (IDPIC), a shared infrastructure modeled on NPCI. He said this system could offer real-time intelligence sharing among banks to identify threats early. Integrating AI for anomaly detection, he added, could create a powerful shield against fraud and strengthen customer trust.

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Setty highlighted that SBI’s own automated rule engine now enables MSME loan approvals within 10-15 minutes. However, he emphasized that the broader ecosystem still needs major upgrades. Long-term financial growth, he said, will depend on stronger infrastructure, wider inclusion, continuous innovation and smarter intelligence systems.

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