In this thought-provoking session, Baskar Babu Suryoday Small finance bank limited  and Sameer Singh Jaini challenged conventional thinking on digital banking and financial inclusion Key takeaways:

Customers are not homogeneous.
Even within a single household  one prefers assisted finance, another uses UPI, and the next is fully digital-native. Banking models must adapt to this diversity.

Optionality is the real strategy.
Customers want digital for transactions  but human interaction for high-value decisions like mortgages. The future is not physical or digital  it is physical + digital by design.

Microfinance has evolved.
Customers are no longer just seeking access, they seek aspiration, advisory, and personalization. Treat them as individuals, not group borrowers.

Digitization at the root level.
Suryoday’s microfinance operations now run with just three backend personnel  paperless, centralized, and tech-enabled.

Fintech partnerships at scale.
With partners like Paytm, rapid scaling through UPI-led credit shows how collaboration can unlock exponential customer growth in months  not years.

Technology leadership starts at the top.
In today’s world, a CEO must think like a CIO. Digital transformation cannot be outsourced, it must be owned.

Branches must be reimagined.
High-cost, large-format branches are outdated. Lean, purpose-built formats and hybrid models are the future.

The core message:
Resilient banks don’t choose between physical and digital.
They design for optionality because customers themselves are not one-dimensional.