State Bank of India, the country’s largest lender, said it aims to complete the modernization of its core banking infrastructure within two years. Speaking at the Singapore FinTech Festival 2025, Ashwini Kumar Tewari, managing director (corporate banking & subsidiaries), said the bank is transforming its legacy systems through what he called a “four-axis strategy” of hardware upgradation, open-source migration, hollowization, and microservices implementation, while ensuring continuity and trust across operations.Tewari said SBI is overhauling its hardware backbone by upgrading data centers and server infrastructure to handle higher transaction volumes and real-time analytics. The bank is building a scalable computing base that can support digital banking without interruption. He said this will enable faster processing and improved reliability for operations powered by microservices, private cloud, and AI.The bank has also begun shifting from Unix to Linux to move away from proprietary systems. The change, Tewari said, allows better interoperability and integration with fintech platforms while cutting dependence on legacy vendors. The open-source framework offers flexibility, faster patching, and enhanced security, supporting SBI’s long-term modernization goals.
