Predominant as a lot because the 2026 Asia Pacific Stevie Awards, Branding in Asia continues its collaboration on a sequence of interviews with jurors to find not solely what they seek for by the judging interval, however as well as their views on the enterprise and commerce traits, challenges, and enhancements shaping their fields.
Subsequent up, we talk with Shyamsunder Balasubramanian, Senior Vice President of Information Transformation and Governance at Citibank N.A. With higher than 20 years of experience all through banking, outsourcing, and finance, his background spans info transformation, audits, sophisticated accounting processes, division evaluations, and automation.
Over the course of our Q&A, Shyamsunder talks regarding the changes he’s seen all through banking, outsourcing, and finance over higher than twenty years, along with the rise of fintech, the evolution of outsourcing into technology-driven worldwide enterprise suppliers, and the rising complexity of hazard and controls.
He moreover shows on what distinguishes standout entrants in his judging experience, the regional variations he seen all through APAC submissions, and the broader forces influencing how organizations inside the space proceed to evolve.
You may need over 20 years of experience in banking, outsourcing, and finance all through areas. What are just a few of the most important changes you’ve seen in by the years?
The interconnected landscapes of Banking, Outsourcing, and Finance have undergone profound and complementary transformations. In banking, the post-2008 interval seen necessary regulatory changes similar to the Dodd-Frank Act and Basel III, aimed towards bolstering resilience and strengthening steadiness sheets.
Nonetheless, newest circumstances such as a result of the Silicon Valley Monetary establishment failure underscore that even with stringent exterior guidelines, poor inside hazard administration and firm governance may end up in necessary challenges. This period moreover marked a dramatic shift from typical banking with the rise of Fintech firms (e.g., Venmo, PayPal, Klarna), which have democratized entry to credit score rating and pushed the adoption of digital wallets, enabling instantaneous consumer cash flows.
This technological evolution has been a sturdy engine for financial inclusion. As an illustration, the Indian authorities’s Nationwide Mission for Financial Inclusion, led to the opening of 570 million zero-balance accounts over the earlier 10 years, bringing into the fold a demography that beforehand lacked entry to formal financial institutions, fostering digital transactions and decreasing reliance on cash. Nonetheless, challenges harking back to inoperative accounts, inadequate infrastructure, and low engagement persist, highlighting ongoing hurdles to full financial integration.
This technological evolution has been a sturdy engine for financial inclusion.
Whole, banking has become further sophisticated, notably relating to hazard, controls, reconciliations & reporting, demanding that institutions ceaselessly align their know-how with market dynamics to care for sturdy financial effectively being.
Parallel to this, outsourcing fashions have matured significantly. They’ve superior from mere worth services focused on labor arbitrage (like medical transcription and data entry) into value-driven fashions centered on know-how, automation, and innovation. Disruptive AI utilized sciences and developments in client interfaces have rendered many typical info entry duties redundant, as bots can now perform them with bigger accuracy.
This has necessitated a shift from typical Enterprise Course of Outsourcing (BPO) to Worldwide Enterprise Suppliers (GBS), which consolidates helpful actions harking back to Human Sources, expense administration, and onboarding. GBS is now moreover increasingly more forming strategic partnerships in specialised fields like Information Science and Cybersecurity.
Mainly, outsourcing should not be incrementally altering nonetheless rapidly galloping in course of Info Course of Outsourcing (KPO) in areas harking back to approved suppliers, funding portfolio administration, and evaluation. These shifts collectively stage to an increasingly more agile and data-driven future, the place adaptability shall be paramount.
On the 2025 APAC Stevie Awards, when judging the Agency / Group & Achievement class, what had been you trying to find inside the firms you evaluated?
When evaluating firms, my requirements had been easy: I focused on new initiatives, their affect on prime quality of work-life, CSR, financial administration’s constructive affect on shareholders, clear firm communications, and disruptive innovation benefiting all stakeholders. Critically, I sought tangible outcomes and verifiable proof, not merely ideas. This involved in depth evaluation and intelligence gathering, pushed by the target to deal with deserving firms, and proved to be an unimaginable learning experience.
What stood out to you inside the entries you reviewed by means of how organizations are approaching the category?
To be candid, my technique as a resolve was rigorous. I was meticulously looking for substantiated proofs to validate claims and reported outcomes. I seen circumstances the place firms provided spectacular narratives however lacked ample corroborating proof. Conversely, some possessed sturdy proof nonetheless did not articulate their achievements efficiently or market themselves adequately.
What truly distinguished the distinctive firms – the “crème de la crème” – was their functionality to ship compelling narratives seamlessly supported by well-organized and verifiable proofs, which significantly facilitated the evaluation course of. As an illustration, with out naming a selected entity, one agency made a profound constructive affect on the lives of individuals in Manila through their CSR initiatives.
What truly distinguished the distinctive firms – the ‘crème de la crème’ – was their functionality to ship compelling narratives seamlessly supported by well-organized and verifiable proofs.
Their submission stood out not only for its exceptionally well-crafted narrative however as well as for the clear and easily verifiable proof that flawlessly corroborated their claims, naturally leading to a most rating from my side. Such organizations are a serious provide of inspiration for me as a resolve.
As a juror, I might advise, firms ought to cultivate a practice the place data-backed proof is seamlessly woven into their storytelling, recognizing that every are indispensable for persuasive communication of success
When specializing in organizations inside the Asia-Pacific space, did you uncover any regional traits or challenges distinctive to this part of the world?
Whereas every group all through the APAC space clearly demonstrated their best efforts, I seen distinct traits in technique and focus. Notably, firms from Manila exhibited a strong results-oriented drive fairly than being solely process-focused. Their submissions consistently scored exceptionally properly all through all evaluation areas, showcasing a profound passion for achievement evidenced by tangible outcomes.
These ranged from simple organizational changes leading to elevated revenue and direct shareholder benefits, to impactful CSR duties with necessary constructive societal outcomes.
Following this, entries from Australia revealed a pronounced emphasis on purchaser satisfaction and enhancing operational efficiencies. This growth shows a strategic understanding that by prioritizing purchaser delight and implementing sustainable effectivity enhancements, elevated profitability naturally follows as a direct finish outcome.
AI is all the talk about all through industries. Previous AI, what completely different traits do you contemplate will most have an effect on how firms inside the space evolve in the end?
In any dialogue, I uncover it unattainable to overlook the transformative power of Artificial Intelligence. It’s a really disruptive concept, presenting every necessary alternate options and considerable challenges. Whereas I apologize if this sounds decrease than optimistic, I am observing a worrying growth rising contained in the retail credit score rating sector.
In any dialogue, I uncover it unattainable to overlook the transformative power of Artificial Intelligence.
The convergence of on the spot gratification, the widespread proliferation of Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) schemes, and the rising have an effect on of AI in credit score rating decisioning presents a considerable hazard to retail credit score rating stability. This concern is strongly supported by current market traits and rising regulatory scrutiny. A serious apprehension stems from the behavioral hazard inherent in BNPL fashions, the place the comfort of fast acquisition tends to erode value elasticity and disconnect buyers from the true worth of their purchases.
Whereas AI undoubtedly permits high-speed credit score rating selections, I preserve a strong conviction inside the guidelines of old-school credit score rating, which emphasizes a compulsory temporal gap between consumption and debt accumulation. It’s important to don’t forget that neither BNPL nor typical financial institution playing cards symbolize ‘free money’; any missed payment rapidly compounds debt.
Although I do not anticipate a catastrophe on the size of the 2008 housing market collapse, this retail credit score rating concern, if left unchecked, has a snowballing affect. It’d in all probability end in hostile impacts on complete credit score rating markets that will take a substantial interval to rectify.
What advice do you’ve got for youthful people coming into the commerce right now?
For youthful professionals coming into the banking commerce in an interval outlined by automation, merely understanding how one can perform methods is insufficient; to actually stand out, one ought to grasp the underlying concepts and mechanisms.
Similar to the engineers who designed the Boeing 747 and Concorde relied on elementary understanding and ingenuity even with out right now’s superior processors, future banking leaders ought to delve into “what goes on behind the scenes of automation.” This dedication extends to the “documentation need,” recognizing that thorough, up-to-date documentation is just not solely an audit formality nonetheless a necessary software program for guaranteeing processes meet their targets and are periodically reviewed.
Moreover, a proactive mindset is essential: youthful professionals ought to cultivate the vigilance to scrutinize automated outputs, and if a problem or logical error is detected, they should ” SHOUT louder,” embodying the “Houston, we have a problem” mentality fairly than passively trusting in all probability flawed methods.
This technique fosters a practice of alert oversight, important for navigating the complexities of an increasingly more automated financial panorama. I be taught a info article just a few loud night time respiratory pilot and subsequent day info flash was “WE DO NOT NEED AUTO PILOT, WE NEED ALERT PILOT. Hope that is relevant to any situation.”
This Q&A was revealed in partnership with The Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards. To review further, along with how and when to enter, go to asia.stevieawards.com
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