SBI is working on a mechanism through which employees can communicate with customers in local languages

SBI Chairman Challa Sreenivasulu Setty | Photo credit: SHASHNK PARADE

“We are already working on it. We have launched a program called Spark. It is a platform, where it is not just a knowledge platform, I think, but also a skill-based platform. You can even build those language-related problems…,” SBI chairman CS Setty said in response to a question.

He was participating in a CEO panel discussion during the two-day 12th SBI Banking and Economics Conclave, which started here on Thursday.

Earlier in the day, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in her inaugural address, urged state-owned banks to strengthen their bond with customers by ensuring that employees at every branch can communicate in the local language.

“It’s quite a large organization. We recruit from different regions across the country. So people come from different language backgrounds. AI tools can really help ease that transition and support faster learning,” Setty said.

Any adoption of technology, especially if it impacts employees, requires a high degree of change management, Setty said, adding that “it’s not just that we roll out a technology, but that we prepare them for it, both physically in terms of skills and mentally, in terms of adapting to the changed environment”.

“That is also a crucial part that we are working on in SBI that while we are popularizing digital tools, we are also preparing the people on how to use these tools, how it will improve your efficiency and also customer centricity,” he added.

Published on November 7, 2025