A senior official from the State Bank of India (SBI) reported on Friday that the bank has acquired the necessary software and hardware in preparation for complying with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDP). The installation and deployment of these systems are expected to be completed by December.
The official representative, who wished to remain anonymous, specified that the software procurement is complete, and the deployment will be carried out by December to ensure DPDP compliance. He also noted that some equipment and software have been purchased, and installation is scheduled for December.
As one of the country's largest banks, SBI processes significant volumes of financial and customer data during its banking operations, making data security and privacy a critical part of its technology and compliance architecture.
The acquisition and installation of this technological infrastructure aim to strengthen the bank's systems as it prepares to implement the new data protection regime. This step comes as banks and other organizations handling personal data prepare their processes and systems to meet the requirements of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act of 2023 and the DPDP Rules of 2025.
The DPDP Act establishes obligations for entities processing digital personal data, including requirements for lawful processing, notification, and consent acquisition, while also granting individuals rights over their personal data. The government notified the DPDP Rules in November 2025, with various provisions coming into effect in phases. Key provisions regarding the obligations of data fiduciaries are set to come into force 18 months after the rules are published.
Meanwhile, the bank's Managing Director, Ashwini Kumar Tewari, stated that the bank expects to begin processing cheques using Artificial Intelligence (AI) starting in March 2027. Initially, the technology will be applied to cheques valued up to ₹15,000.
Tewari announced at the Global Fintech Fest 2026 that they may start processing cheques with AI by March 2027, initially considering cheque amounts up to ₹15,000. AI-based processing will initially cover lower-value cheques, and the bank may potentially expand the scope later. Furthermore, SBI has implemented Large Language Models (LLMs) to automate cheque processing.