State Bank India (SBI), the country’s largest lender, will draft a circle-wise plan to rationalise the group’s branch network. The plan, which includes relocation of bank branches, is in view of the proposed merger of associate banks with SBI.
Work on this rationalisation had begun about a year ago, even before the merger decisions were taken. The expansion of alternate platforms, including digital banking channels, has made SBI rethink on the location of branches.