Kotak Mahindra Bank’s next digital leap: Inside the tech playbook of 2025 and beyond

In an era where financial institutions are reinventing themselves through AI, cloud-native platforms and real-time data ecosystems, Kotak Mahindra Bank stands at a pivotal point in its digital transformation journey. Leading this evolution is Nilesh Chaudhari, Head of Technology for the bank’s enterprise businesses — Corporate Banking, Commercial Banking, SME & MSME — along with critical cross-bank functions such as HR, Finance and Risk. With nearly three decades of BFSI technology experience across Barclays, JP Morgan and Citibank, Nilesh represents a renewed, engineering-led vision for Kotak.

Having completed just over a year at the bank, he reflects on a journey that began with stabilising core technology, eliminating tech debt and uplifting governance. Kotak had just concluded major work around strengthening its foundational pillars — governance, risk, compliance, security and architecture — when Nilesh stepped in. “We were at the point where the heavy lifting was done — strengthening the foundations, uplifting ...