The great banking shake-up: Will digital kill the branch, or is hybrid the

When was the last time you visited a bank branch? Chances are that you will get different answers from Indians. If you are young and tech-savvy, most of your banking requirements are met through digital banking and you have hardly felt the need to visit a bank branch. If you are a senior citizen or in small-town India, you would be visiting bank branches regularly. As a High Net Worth Individual (HNI) or someone having a family office, you would again be meeting up with Wealth and Fund Managers for deeper discussions on trends and new-age investment options.

Banks, like many other firms in the service industry, have been digitally transformed over the past decade. Driven by changing consumer preferences, government initiatives (Unified Payments Interface (UPI), Aadhar-enabled authentication, etc.), online investing, digital banking and AI-driven financial services have already gained significant traction in India.

The post-pandemic era has accelerated the adoption of digital banking. A recent report by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) highlights a 50% increase in digital transactions in 2023 compared to pre-pandemic levels. Banks like ICICI and HDFC have responded by ramping up digital services, while fintech disruptors like PhonePe and Paytm continue to push boundaries.

India’s banking industry is at a crossroads. With fintech innovations, regulatory changes, and evolving consumer preferences, the question of whether banks should go fully digital or adopt a hybrid model has been more relevant.

Munish Sahrawat President and Dean, Shoolini Business School, says, “The future of banking in India is likely to be a mix of hybrid and digital-first, given India’s socio-economic diversity. Few trends shaping the future which are likely to further accelerate transformation.”

“For instance, neobanks and Fintechs as challengers. Fintech companies are revolutionising the banking sector by offering solutions across payments, lending, insurance and wealth management. Paytm, Groww, Zerodha et al have become household names and being nimble and customer-centric, many of these will either acquire banking licences or will get acquired,” says Sahrawat.

Whichever way, fintechs are enabling neobanks to challenge traditional banking models by providing digital banking in the comfort of homes and offices. Industry 4.0-led Innovation; Technologies like Blockchain, AI and Big Data are delivering improved decision-making, personalized banking experiences, and real-time fraud detection. Whilst banking will continue to be regulated, central banks and governments are likely to champion some of these technologies to shape the future., adds Sahrawat.

This way, traditional banks will have no other option but to have a partnership with neobanks, which are fintech firms that provide banking services exclusively digitally.

Neobanks have lower operational costs and tend to offer more competitive interest rates and convenience. However, as of now, the RBI does not grant…