Admit Cards Released for SBI Clerk Prelims Exam; Procedure to Download

The State Bank of India (SBI) has announced the recruitment of candidates for the position of Group Chief Information Security Officer (Group CISO). This position will be on a contract basis, and the annual Cost to Company (CTC) package is set at up to 2.50 crore rupees. Despite only one such position being available, numerous applications have been received.

The application period started on September 4th and will run until September 24th. Candidates interested in this role can submit their documents, but it should be noted that since there is only one vacancy, significant preparation will be required.

A special feature of this competition is the eligibility of candidates up to 57 years old. Age will be calculated as of August 31, 2026. The candidate must have 15 to 20 years of experience in IT or information security after obtaining qualifications. Furthermore, they must have at least five years of experience at a senior management level in information security, cybersecurity, or cyber defense within a bank or financial institution.

Candidates must hold a B.Tech or B.E. degree in fields such as Computer Science, Computer Science and Engineering, Software Engineering, Information Technology, Electronics, Electronics and Communication Engineering, or Cybersecurity, provided they score at least 50 percent. Candidates with an M.Tech/M.Sc. degree in MCA or related disciplines are also eligible. SBI favors professional certifications such as CISSP, CISM, CCISO, and CISA.

The Group Chief Information Security Officer will be responsible for the bank's activities related to information security and cybersecurity. The candidate is required to have experience in areas such as cybersecurity, operational security, cyber defense, risk management, security compliance, security system design, and cloud security.

Selected candidates may be assigned to work in Mumbai or New Mumbai. However, SBI reserves the right to place the candidate in any other office, affiliated organization, or other location in India depending on requirements.

The annual CTC for this position is up to 2.50 crore rupees. According to the SBI notification, the CTC includes a fixed and variable component of compensation in a 90:10 ratio. The initial employment term will be 3 years, which can be extended by another 2 years as per the bank's needs and mutual agreement, resulting in a maximum tenure of five years.

Interested individuals can apply online through the careers section on the SBI website. The deadline for application submission and fee payment is September 24, 2026. Selection will be conducted through shortlisting and interviews.

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.

The State Bank of India (SBI), the country's largest lender, is working on creating a lending system that will use UPI transaction data as an indicator of sales to issue loans to small businesses that do not have Goods and Services Tax (GST) registration.

Ashwini Kumar Tewari, Managing Director of SBI, stated at the Global Fintech Festival on Friday that UPI could replace GST if regular sales are conducted through this system. He emphasized that the bank is developing exactly such a solution, bypassing GST.

Previously, SBI has processed business loans in about 10 minutes for clients who have GST registration, a PAN number, and other required documents. Over the last year and a half, the bank has provided such clients with loans totaling 1 trillion rupees.

Tewari noted that the current task is to automate lending for enterprises outside the GST system by using UPI transaction data and other payment behavioral patterns, subject to client consent. The goal is to build a small business profile based on its spending and income models, even if these incomes are not easily accessible or regular.

The application of digital transaction data could signal a change in how banks assess small businesses. Responding to the question of the banking sector shifting from balance-based financing to cash flow-based lending, he said: 'The banking sector is moving towards cash flows.' However, he added the condition that these cash flows must be visible through digital channels, not in cash.

For companies registered under GST, the remaining challenge in SBI's automated lending process is the need for an on-site visit to verify the existence of a shop or business premises. Tewari believes such checks remain necessary, as otherwise, these processes could be compromised. In the case of businesses without GST registration, UPI can provide a digital trail of their trading activity that lenders can use during underwriting.

According to Tewari, this approach could help solve the problem of underfunding in the MSME sector, especially among micro-enterprises that have limited financial reserves. He stressed: 'They are too small, they are micro. And if we do not solve the micro-business problem, this segment will remain unresolved.'

Tewari suggested considering wallets as a potential way to reduce the burden on banking infrastructure, proposing that transactions up to 100 rupees could be processed through wallets. Furthermore, he mentioned that voice, multilingual, and AI-driven services could simplify access to credit, allowing customers to request a loan in their common language, and the system would convert this request into procedures required by the bank.