Punjab National Bank (PNB) successfully organised the PNB AI Summit 2026, bringing together policymakers, regulators, industry leaders, academia, technology experts, fintech innovators, and cybersecurity professionals to deliberate on the transformative role of Artificial Intelligence, Ǫuantum Technologies, and Cybersecurity in shaping the future of the Banking, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI) sector.
The two-day summit commenced with the inauguration by Debasish Prusty, Additional Secretary, DFS in the presence of Ashok Chandra, MD&CEO, PNB, Atul Kumar Goel, Chief Executive, IBA; JBV Reddy, Head QTC, National Ǫuantum Mission, Department of Science and Technology, Govt. of India; Gulshan Rai, IS Advisor; and Dr Pratik Sen, Dean, IIT Kanpur.
Addressing the summit, Chief Guest Debasish Prusty, Additional Secretary, DFS, emphasised the alignment of AI adoption in banking with the national India AI Mission. In his welcome address, the MD & CEO highlighted PNB’s vision of leveraging Artificial Intelligence, Generative AI, and Agentic AI to transform customer service, operational efficiency, risk management, and financial inclusion. JBV Reddy spoke on the relevance of quantum-safe banking and future-ready cybersecurity architectures. Atul Kumar Goel underscored the importance of collaborative innovation and cyber resilience across the banking ecosystem.
A key highlight of the Summit was the recognition of the successful completion of Cyber Security Hackathon 2026, conducted by Punjab National Bank under the aegis of the Department of Financial Services (DFS), Ministry of Finance, as part of the PSBs’ Hackathon Series 2026. PNB conducted the Cybersecurity Hackathon 2026 in collaboration with IIT Kanpur under the theme “Ǫuantum-Proof Systems for Public-Facing Applications.” The Hackathon challenged participants to develop an automated solution capable of assessing public-facing applications, identifying cryptographic implementations, validating Post-Ǫuantum Cryptography (PǪC) readiness, and generating a Cryptographic Bill of Materials (CBOM). The winners of the PNB Cybersecurity Hackathon 2026 were felicitated with cash prizes in recognition of their innovative solutions addressing emerging cyber threats and strengthening the banking sector’s security posture.
This was followed by a walkthrough of the AI Experience Zone, which featured nearly 20 kiosks from leading fintechs, hyperscalers, technology companies, startups, and knowledge partners, including renowned names like AWS, Microsoft, and Google, showcasing cutting-edge AI, GenAI, cybersecurity, analytics, and customer service solutions.
The technical sessions generated rich discussions on the future of AI-led banking. Deliberations covered AI-driven digital payments and fraud prevention, the emergence of the AI-First Bank, multilingual AI models for “AI for Bharat”, and governance frameworks needed for responsible AI adoption. Experts stressed that AI is moving from experimentation to enterprise-scale transformation and will become a foundational capability across banking operations.
The afternoon sessions focused on strategic imperatives for Indian banking in an AI-first world. Industry leaders discussed scaling AI from Proof of Concept to enterprise deployment, driving measurable business impact, and creating personalised banking experiences at India scale. Global perspectives from leading institutions like DBS highlighted the importance of strong governance, workforce transformation, cybersecurity, and operational resilience in realising the full value of AI.
The overarching message emerging from Day 1 was that AI, GenAI, and Agentic AI will fundamentally reshape banking, and success will depend on balancing innovation with trust, governance, security, and responsible adoption. The summit successfully brought together policymakers, academia, technology leaders, fintech innovators, and banking executives on a common platform, further establishing PNB’s vision in driving AI-led transformation in the Indian banking sector.
