AU Small Finance Bank (AU SFB), India's largest Small Finance Bank, is the first Small Finance Bank in India to receive an in-principle approval from the Reserve Bank of India to transition into a Universal Bank.
About Us
Mr. Sanjay Agarwal
Founder, MD & CEO
Mr. Sanjay Agarwal is the Founder, MD & CEO of AU Small Finance Bank. A first-generation entrepreneur and a merit-ranking Chartered Accountant, Mr. Agarwal brings over three decades of strategic leadership and executive experience to the financial sector. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Government College, Ajmer, and possesses deep domain expertise across Banking, Finance, Risk Management, Rural Economics, and Business Strategy.
In 1996, Mr. Agarwal founded AU Financiers with a mission to bridge the credit gap for small-scale entrepreneurs and underserved populations in rural and semi-urban India. Under his visionary leadership, the institution underwent a historic transformation in 2017 to become AU Small Finance Bank. Today, it stands as India’s largest small finance bank, recognized for setting industry benchmarks in financial inclusivity and operational agility.
Renowned for his execution-oriented approach, Mr. Agarwal has fostered a corporate culture rooted in business excellence and superior performance. He has been instrumental in elevating the Bank’s standards of corporate governance, ensuring robust transparency and high-level engagement with global stakeholders.
His contributions to the industry have earned him numerous prestigious accolades, including the EY Entrepreneur of the Year (2018), ET Now’s Innovative Leader of the Year, and the Business Leader of the Year award from the ICAI. He has also been honored as the ET Gamechanger of India (2019) and recognized as the Personality of the Year (Finance) at the Rajasthan Entrepreneur and Excellence Awards.
Customers
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Touchpoints Across 21 States and 4 Union Territories
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Employees
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Mission Statement
To build one of India's largest retail banking franchises that is admired for its unwavering commitment to customers, financial inclusion, innovation, operational excellence, and responsible growth.
Customer Excellence
Delivering exceptional experiences that make every customer feel valued and delighted
Financial Inclusion
Ensuring access to formal banking and financial services for every Indian
Innovation & Execution
Fostering innovation, agility, and excellence in products, processes, and execution
Governance & Trust
Upholding the highest standards of integrity, governance, and ethical conduct
People & Culture
Creating a high-performance, inclusive, and rewarding workplace for all employees
Award and recognition
AU Small Finance Bank recognised Among Asia's Best Workplaces 2026; Ranked #54 in Great Place to Work® Asia List
Excellence in Voice AI-Powered Customer Acquisition (2026): Won at The BFSI Guild Awards for tech-led customer acquisition using voice AI.
At the TransUnion CIBIL Credit Conference 2026, AU Small Finance Bank won two awards for data quality for the 2025–26 period
• Silver Award: Best Data Quality in the SFB Consumer category. • Bronze Award: Best Data Quality in the MFI Category Overall.
AU Small Finance Bank won the Best Small Finance Bank category at the Financial Express India's Best Banks Awards 2026
AU SFB recognized among the Top 10 – India’s Best Companies to Work for 2026 by Great Place to Work.
AU SFB was recognized at the “Atal Pension Yojana (APY) Annual Felicitation Programme FY 2025-26” organized by PFRDA” at New Delhi – for its strong contribution and performance under the APY initiative.
AU SFB receives an Award as “India's leading Small Finance Bank Award” by Dun & Bradstreet at the 18th BFSI & Fintech Summit 2026
Sanjay Agrawal received the Special Jury Award for Individual Excellence at the Business Today–KPMG India’s Best Banks Awards as the “Business Transformation Leader of the Year (Private & SFBs)”.
IBA’s 21st Annual Banking Technology Conference and Citations: 2024-25
• Best IT Risk Management – Winner • Best Tech Talent – Runner Up • Best Technology Bank – Runner Up • Best Digital Financial Inclusion – Runner Up
Data Excellence – Small Finance Bank’s at the CRIF Data Excellence Awards 2024
Recognised as one of India’s Top 25 Best Workplaces in BFSI 2025 by Great Place to Work
Recognised as India’s Top 50 Companies to Work for 2025 by Great Place to Work
4th Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) CISO Award 2025 in the ‘Cyber Security Incident Response Maturity’ category
AU Small Finance Bank received the Silver Award for Data Quality in the SFB category at TransUnion CIBIL Annual Credit Conference 2025
AU Small Finance Bank recognized among the Top 50 India's Best Workplaces™ for Millennials 2025, Large Category.
ICC Emerging Asia Banking Conclave - Won 4 Awards all in SFB category
1. Best Bank 2.Best Performance on Asset Quality 3.Best Performance on Growth 4. Best Performance on Profitability
‘APY Annual Award of Ultimate Achiever’ by PFRDA
Best Financial Inclusion - Special Mention
Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) 20th Annual Banking Technology Awards
Financial Inclusion Award
FICO Decision Awards
APY Annual Award of Excellence
PFRDA for achieving 100% target in Atal Pension Yojana (APY)
Best Financial Inclusion Winner
India Bank's Association (IBA) 19th Annual Banking Technology Awards
Award of Excellence
Recognised by PFRDA for sourcing maximum number of APY accounts
Certificate of Appreciation
Recognised by PFRDA for achieving persistence target and contributing towards Atal Pension Yojana
Award of Excellence
Recognised by PFRDA for achieving 100% target in the Atal Pension Yojana (APY)
Exceptional contribution to the Atal Pension Yojana (APY)
Recognition from PFRDA
Financial Inclusion Initiative of the Year - India
Asian Banking and Finance Retail Banking Awards 2022
Atal Pension Yojana Annual Award
Recognition from PFRDA
Atal Pension Yojana Premiere League Award
Recognition from PFRDA
Best Financial Inclusion Initiatives of the Year for Individual Society Responsibility
ETBFSI Excellence Awards 2021
Best Financial Inclusion Initiatives of the Year for Financial Literacy Camps
ETBFSI Excellence Awards 2020
The Bank with Leading Financial Inclusion Initiatives
BFSI Awards by ABP News
The Bank with more Rural Branches
ET Now
Best Rural Branch Expansion
BFSI Awards by ABP News
