Dbs Bank India plans strategic expansion into small and medium enterprise lending, wealth management, and technology integration, focusing on quality over quantity amidst recent solid growth and improved asset quality.
Rajat Verma says DBS Bank India plans to grow across retail lending, small business finance and wealth management, but will do so selectively rather than trying to offer every product under the sun. The India chief executive said the bank, which has operated in the country for 31 years, sees scope to expand from its current base of nearly 490 branches and a broad universal banking model that already spans corporate lending, markets, treasury, retail deposits and branch banking.
Verma told Business Standard that DBS is especially positive on the small and medium-sized enterprise market, where lending has more than doubled over the past three years. He also pointed to a growing retail book led by loans against property and gold loans, which he described as especially important because they can support financial inclusion and small-scale entrepreneurship. The bank’s strategy, he said, is to reach enough density in chosen products to gain scale and improve efficiency, rather than spreading itself too thin.
That cautious focus sits alongside solid recent growth. DBS Bank India said net advances rose 15% to ₹62,172 crore and deposits increased 11% to ₹92,117 crore, helped by strong growth in current and savings accounts. Profit after tax climbed 49% to ₹1,020 crore in FY26, while the bank’s equity infusion of ₹1,600 crore in March lifted its capital adequacy ratio to 19.7%. Asset quality also improved, with the gross non-performing asset ratio falling to 1.34% from 2.78% in FY25 and net NPAs easing to 0.23% from 0.28%.
The bank is also leaning more heavily into wealth management. Verma said DBS is hiring and investing in wealth teams and centres, taking a longer-term view of a business where it already has a strong Asian franchise. Its traditional wealth offer targets clients with ₹30 lakh to ₹40 lakh and above, while a newer Aspire product starts at ₹10 lakh. DBS is also opening new wealth centres across Asia and upgrading existing ones, including plans to add more Treasures centres in India over the next two years.
Technology is another part of the growth plan. Verma said more than two-thirds of DBS Bank India employees now use generative AI tools in their daily work, with a content-capture system already helping to cut data-entry time by about half. The bank says the tools are used with human oversight and clear governance. That approach reflects a wider shift in Indian banking, where lenders are increasingly using artificial intelligence to support customer acquisition, underwriting and servicing, while trying to keep control over risk and compliance.
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