Shri K. Paul Thomas, MD and CEO of ESAF Small Finance Bank, has been recognized as the winner in the Financial Inclusion category at the prestigious IBA 20th Annual Banking Technology Conference, Expo & Citations.

The award was presented by Shri T. Rabi Sankar, Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, on January 24, 2025, in Mumbai, and was received on the behalf of Shri K Paul Thomas by Shri Gireesh C.P., EVP, along with Shri Lijith Jose, Vertical Head of Regional Marketing.

Shri. K. Paul Thomas, MD and CEO, ESAF Small Finance Bank met Shri. Amit Shah, Union Minister of Home Affairs and Co-operation, during his visit to Thrissur on 12th March 2023.

ESAF Small Finance Bank inaugurated its new Zonal Office at West Patel Nagar, New Delhi on 29th May 2023. The inauguration was done virtually by Dr. Bhagwat Kishanrao Karad, Honourable Minister of State, Ministry of Finance, Government of India. The ribbon-cutting ceremony was jointly carried out by Shri. K. Paul Thomas, MD and CEO, ESAF Small Finance Bank, and Smt. Mereena Paul, Executive Director, ESAF Foundation, along with Shri. C.B. Samuel, Former CEO, EFICOR, and Smt. Girija Subramanian, CMD, Agricultural Insurance Company of India. Many officials including Shri. Scott Walters, CEO, Opportunity International, Australia, Shri. S. N. Sharma, GM, RBI, Smt. Chitra Datar, GM, Bank of Maharashtra, Shri. Amit Meena IAS, Ministry of Finance, Shri. Ramesh Babu, Secretary, EFICOR, Shri. George Thomas, Executive Vice President, ESAF Small Finance Bank, Shri. Hemant Tamta, Executive Vice President, Network 2, ESAF Small Finance Bank, Shri. Christudas K. V., CEO, ESAF Co-operative and Shri. Sreekanth C.K., Head, Marketing and PR, ESAF Small Finance Bank, were present during the occasion.

Shri. K. Paul Thomas, MD and CEO, ESAF Small Finance Bank, has been elected to the Board of Sa-Dhan, an association of Microfinance and Impact Finance Institutions, as Co-Chairman. He secured a majority of 60 votes out of 62 votes cast. Shri. K. Paul Thomas commented that the victory was in recognition of ESAF’s contributions to promoting financial inclusion.

ESAF Small Finance Bank opened its new regional office in Nagpur. The newly inaugurated regional office will serve as a vital hub for the Bank’s operations across Maharashtra and Central India, enabling support and service delivery to customers in the region. The office was inaugurated by Smt. Sangeeta Lalwani, Regional Director, Reserve Bank of India. Shri. Ravimohan P. R., Chairman, ESAF SFB, inaugurated the ATM. Shri. Balkrishna Bhartia, National President, Confederation of All India Traders, Shri. George K. John, Executive Vice President – IT and Operations, ESAF SFB, Shri. Hemant Kumar Tamta, Executive Vice President, Network 2, ESAF SFB, Shri. Sreekanth C. K., Head, Marketing and PR, ESAF SFB, Shri. Sanjeev Kumar Hotta, Regional Head, Nagpur Region, ESAF SFB, and Shri. Sunil Jadhav, Zonal Head, ESAF Multi-State Agro Co-operative, also spoke during the occasion.

Shri. K. Paul Thomas, MD and CEO, ESAF Small Finance Bank, bagged the Excellence Award- APY Big Believers for significant enrolment of APY and Circle of Excellence Award by PFRDA. The awards were presented by Dr. Deepak Mohanty, Chairperson, PFRDA, on 16th June 2023 during the Atal Pension Yojana felicitation programme and strategy review meeting (south zone) in Chennai.

ESAF Small Finance Bank underwent an ESG grading process by Care Edge Research. The Bank secured a commendable score of 71%, against the industry average of 59%. The Bank scored 62% for the Environment pillar, 68% for the Social pillar, and 76% for the Governance pillar. The Bank’s excellent performance in the grading process is a result of its green protocol, green branch practices, healthy labour management practices, employee engagement, and gender-inclusive workforce (one in every three employees is a woman), CSR contribution of 5%—exceeding the government mandate—community transformation through innovative products, and its board governance and disclosure. ESAF SFB was also judged the industry best in five categories, namely: green finance, health and safety, product safety and quality, communities, and opportunities for product/inclusion.

ESAF Small Finance Bank entered into a corporate tie-up with Kotak Life for customer life insurance. The formalisation of the collaboration took place during a ceremony held at the Mumbai Head Office of Kotak Mahindra Bank on 4th August 2023. The tie-up is an extension of the 14-year-long association of ESAF with Kotak, as a Group Insurance Partner, and aims to provide the Bank’s customers with a diverse range of tailor-made life insurance products. Shri. Uday Kotak, CEO, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Shri. Mahesh Balasubramanian, MD, Kotak Mahindra Life Insurance Company, Shri. K. Paul Thomas, MD and CEO, ESAF Small Finance Bank, and other officials from both organisations were present during the event.