Speeches & Media Interactions

It is a pleasure for me to be here at the Business Standard BFSI Insight Summit. I would like to thank the organisers for this opportunity. 2. In my brief comments, I will be reflecting on the observed economic and financial resilience of emerging markets (EMs) in general, and of the Indian economy, in particular. In this context, it may be noted that at the recently concluded Annual Meetings of the IMF, two contradictory themes prevailed: the unprecedented global policy uncertainty; and the surprising resilience of the economies

Shri C S Setty, Chairman, State Bank of India, Mr Peter Simon, CEO and distinguished delegates of the WSBI, Shri Vinay Tonse, Managing Director, SBI and WSBI Asia Regional President, Friends, colleagues, ladies and gentlemen, good evening, everyone! 2. At the outset, congratulations to WSBI for completion of a century, in bringing together savings and retail banks, from over 70 countries, representing the interests of customers of approximately 6,400 banks across all continents. 

1. Chairman of the Board of Governors, Director of the Institute, Prof and Padma Shree Manindra Agrawal, winner of numerous awards, who was my senior here and who I hold in very high esteem, faculty members, staff, proud parents, family and friends of the graduating students, distinguished guests, and my dear graduating students, alumni, ladies and gentlemen.

Distinguished guests, participants, ladies and gentlemen, Good evening. At the outset, let me thank the organisers for inviting me to share some of my thoughts on the theme of financial inclusion. Before that, let me take a moment to acknowledge that today i.e., June 05, 2025, is the World Environment Day, an UN-recognized day that brings together people across the globe in a shared mission to safeguard and restore our planet. This year’s theme of ending plastic pollution is a call to all of us to make a behavioural shift in our daily life choices. In the spirit of preserving the purity of our environment and safeguarding our well-being, let us commit toward making more sustainable choices.

I am delighted to be present here today for this second Conference of Directors of the Private Sector Banks. As many of you would be aware, we had organised the first such Conference last year in the month of May on the theme – “Governance in Banks: Driving Sustainable Growth and Stability”. That interaction of the Reserve Bank with the Boards of Directors was very well-received with a strong feedback that such conferences be held on a periodic basis.

I am happy to be here today at the Macro Week 2024 organised by the Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE). The Institute has established itself as a leading forum, bringing together public policy practitioners, central bankers, industry leaders, research professionals and scholars to brainstorm on emerging macroeconomic issues. Such discussions, especially on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank meetings, provide fertile ground for rigorous and meaningful interactions on matters of contemporary policy relevance.