Shabnam Sinha to head Airtel Payments Bank from October 1

Airtel Payments Bank announced a leadership transition, with Sunil Mittal set to step down as non-executive Chairman and from the board on September 30. Shabnam Sinha will become Chairperson for a three-year term from October 1, 2026

New Delhi: Airtel Payments Bank on Monday announced leadership changes as Sunil Mittal concludes his tenure as non-executive Chairman and steps down from the board, effective September 30, 2026.

Shabnam Sinha will assume the role of Chairperson of Airtel Payments Bank for a three-year term beginning October 1, 2026, following her appointment by the Board and approval by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), according to a company release.

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Mittal, Founder and Chairman, Bharti Enterprises, was appointed as Non-Executive Chairman of Airtel Payments Bank in April 2016.

“Under his leadership, the Bank grew to become India’s largest payments bank by revenue, with a strong presence across both consumer and enterprise businesses,” the release further said.

Today, the bank serves over 121 million monthly active users and nearly 30 million bank account customers through the Airtel Thanks App, supported by a network of over 500,000 banking points, the largest network in the country, reaching three out of four villages across India, the release added.

The bank has expanded access to formal banking services across the country, while also emerging as the country’s second-largest mobile bank and UPI Autopay player, it added.