Reinforcing its commitment to strengthening India’s Urban Cooperative Banking sector, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) conducted a comprehensive training programme under its Mission SAKSHAM initiative at the Sahkar Sabhagruh of Cosmos Co-operative Bank Ltd., Pune, on Friday.
Hosted with the support of Cosmos Bank, the programme focused on enhancing governance standards, risk management, regulatory compliance and technology adoption among Urban Cooperative Banks (UCBs), while positioning Cosmos Bank at the centre of this important capacity-building initiative.
The day-long programme brought together around 180 Chairpersons, Vice-Chairpersons, Directors, Board Members, Managing Directors, Chief Executive Officers and senior executives representing 45 Urban Cooperative Banks from Pune district.
The initiative forms part of RBI’s broader Mission SAKSHAM, which seeks to bridge capacity gaps in governance, assurance and compliance functions, operational practices, risk management and technology, including information technology and cyber security. The mission is aimed at equipping UCBs with stronger institutional capabilities and operational resilience to support their next phase of growth.
The inaugural session on “Enhancing Board Effectiveness through Good Governance” was delivered by Pawan Pandit, Deputy General Manager, RBI. He highlighted the importance of effective governance in ensuring informed decision-making, accountability and sustainable institutional development. Stressing the vital role of boards in cooperative banks, he underscored that robust governance practices are fundamental to maintaining public confidence and achieving long-term stability.
Manish Kumar, Deputy General Manager, RBI, led a session on “Strengthening Assurance and Risk Oversight for Resilient Banking”, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive assurance framework and proactive risk management mechanisms. He explained that effective oversight enables cooperative banks to identify emerging risks early and strengthen institutional resilience in an increasingly dynamic financial environment.
A highly interactive session on “Building Strong Credit Risk Culture” was conducted by Abhishek Kumar, Deputy General Manager and Member of Faculty, College of Agricultural Banking (CAB), Pune. He encouraged participants to adopt sound credit appraisal practices, improve monitoring systems and cultivate a strong risk-aware culture across their institutions.
The programme also featured an important session on “Customer Due Diligence (CDD): Fundamentals and Best Practices” by Mala Shirish Lall, DGM and Member of Faculty, CAB, Pune. She stressed the growing significance of robust Know Your Customer (KYC) procedures and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) compliance in today’s digital banking ecosystem, while sharing practical measures to safeguard both banks and customers.
The concluding technical session was delivered by K. Sureshkumar, General Manager and Member of Faculty, CAB, Pune, on “Emerging Cyber Risks, Regulatory Guidelines and Recent Cases in UCBs”. He highlighted the increasing cyber threats facing financial institutions and emphasized the importance of continuous technology upgrades, regulatory compliance and vigilant monitoring to ensure secure banking operations.
The successful conduct of the programme at Cosmos Co-operative Bank underscored the bank’s active role in promoting professional excellence within the cooperative banking sector. By partnering with RBI’s Mission SAKSHAM, Cosmos Bank reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening governance standards, enhancing institutional capacity and supporting a more resilient and future-ready Urban Cooperative Banking ecosystem.
