PNB, DIBD Forge Alliance to Unleash AI-Powered Multilingual Banking for Financial Inclusion
A landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between Punjab National Bank (PNB) and the Digital India BHASHINI Division (DIBD), under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). This strategic partnership aims to dramatically advance multilingual Artificial Intelligence (AI) solutions within the banking sector, driving citizen-centric financial services across the nation.The collaboration involves both organizations integrating cutting-edge language technologies into PNB’s extensive digital banking ecosystem. By leveraging BHASHINI's indigenous AI framework, customers will soon be able to access essential banking information and digital services seamlessly in their preferred Indian languages. This move is set to make financial services more accessible and intuitive for a linguistically diverse populace.
Integrating Multilingual AI into PNB’s Digital Ecosystem
The MoU establishes a comprehensive roadmap for integrating language-inclusive capabilities directly into PNB’s digital platforms. The partnership will span several key areas, including BHASHINI Udyat, Mitra, AppMitra, Pravakta and Bhashadaan initiatives.Key deliverables under the collaboration include developing domain-specific language models and dedicated banking glossaries. Furthermore, the initiative aims to strengthen multilingual communication by promoting AI-powered tools for documentation and facilitating access through BHASHINI's specialized language translation APIs. This focused effort directly addresses the barrier of language in accessing formal financial services.
Boosting Financial Inclusion Through Language Parity
The partnership is fundamentally designed to bolster the Government of India’s vision of inclusive Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI). By actively reducing linguistic barriers, this collaboration seeks to expand the reach of banking services across diverse communities. This focus aims to strengthen customer engagement by empowering every citizen to interact with financial institutions in their native language.Shri M. Paramasivam, Executive Director at Punjab National Bank, underscored that this alliance demonstrates how DPI can accelerate inclusive digital transformation. He stated that combining multilingual AI with public service delivery will ensure that digital banking services are equitable and citizen-friendly across the country.
Accelerating Digital Public Infrastructure Adoption
The collaboration is positioned to rapidly accelerate the adoption of advanced multilingual AI throughout the broader financial sector. Shri Amitabh Nag, CEO of DIBD, emphasized that language must never be a barrier to essential banking services. He added that integrating BHASHINI’s technology into PNB's ecosystem represents a significant step toward building an inclusive, voice-first Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI).Shri Atish Kumar Rout, Chief General Manager (Digital) at PNB, affirmed the bank's commitment to secure and customer-centric services. He noted that leveraging cutting-edge multilingual AI ensures PNB’s digital platforms are highly inclusive and easy for customers from various linguistic backgrounds to use.
Capabilities of Digital India BHASHINI Division (DIBD)
The Digital India BHASHINI Division (DIBD), operating under MeitY, is a national initiative dedicated to AI-driven multilingual inclusion. DIBD currently powers over 800 government websites and enables more than 8 billion AI inferences. The division processes 20+ million AI inferences daily and supports 36 Indian text languages, 23 Indian voice languages, and 35 international languages.***
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