Airtel Payments Bank set to extend pilot to southern states
Airtel Payments Bank is expanding services to southern states in India less than two weeks after a pilot launch in Rajasthan. The bank's CEO, Shashi Arora, said that states such as Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka have large rural markets where banking services could be provided to the financially excluded or unbanked population. Airtel is rolling out 20,000 outlets in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, and around another 15,000 in Karanataka, offering services including including eKYC-led onborading, cash deposits, cash withdrawals. The bank opened over 100,000 savings accounts within two weeks of rolling out in Rajasthan.
In Rajasthan, Airtel Payments Bank is rolling out pilot services across 10,000 Airtel retail outlets, which also act as banking points. In Rajasthan, Airtel Payments Bank is rolling out pilot services across 10,000 Airtel retail outlets, which also act as banking points.

Having opened over one lakh savings accounts within a fortnight of launch of its pilot services in Rajasthan, Airtel Payments Bank is gearing up to extend the services to southern states starting this week. “We are getting into South India within a week… a couple of states like Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka,” Airtel Payments Bank CEO Shashi Arora told PTI. Airtel Payments Bank is the first payments bank in India to go live.

Arora said these states have a deep rural market where the opportunity to offer banking benefit to financially excluded and the unbanked population is large.

“We would be rolling out with about 20,000 retail outlets in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana combined, and another 15,000 or so, in Karanataka,” he said.