State Bank of India Launches 'SBI CHAKRA' Centre of Excellence for Sunrise Sectors (January 2026)

The State Bank of India (SBI) has officially launched the SBI CHAKRA Centre of Excellence for Sunrise Sectors in Mumbai, held in media partnership with CNBC-TV 18. Inaugurated by Shri M. Nagaraju, Secretary, Department of Financial Services, Government of India, the Centre marks a strategic institutional shift in financing India's transition towards a technology-led and sustainable economy.

Vision and Economic Context

SBI Chairman Shri Challa Sreenivasulu Setty emphasised that as nation-building evolves, traditional lending models are no longer sufficient to evaluate emerging technologies. SBI CHAKRA aims to "translate technological complexity into bankable structures" by developing deep sectoral expertise, data-driven risk frameworks, and strong ecosystem collaborations.

Outlining the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision, Shri M. Nagaraju highlighted India's ambition to grow into a USD 30 trillion economy and boost manufacturing's share of GDP to 25%. He noted that SBI CHAKRA will enable vital co-lending and risk-sharing across public sector banks. The Centre will target eight sunrise sectors that represent a massive ₹22 trillion project finance opportunity between FY27 and FY31.

Key Panel Discussions and Insights

Leaders from across renewable energy, multilateral institutions, technology, digital infrastructure and manufacturing convened for a series of panel discussions exploring India’s next phase of growth. Participants included senior representatives from the World Bank Group, RMI India, JSW Energy, Adani Green Energy, Avaada Energy, Yotta Data Services, Digital Connexion, SicSem and Lodha Green Digital Infrastructure, with moderation support from CNBC-TV18 and Bain & Company.

Accelerating the Green Energy Transition

The energy panel explored India’s rapid progress in renewable energy, particularly solar manufacturing, while acknowledging the continued role of thermal power during the transition. Stable policy frameworks have strengthened investor confidence, and attention is now turning to emerging frontiers such as electric heavy transport and green hydrogen. The overarching message was that the energy transition is a long-term journey requiring sustained investment, innovation and resilience.

Financing Growth and Securing Supply Chains

A fireside chat on transition finance with Mr. Johannes Zutt (Vice President, South Asia Region, World Bank Group) was hosted by Shri Ashwini Kumar Tewari (MD – Corporate Banking & Subsidiaries, SBI) which emphasized the importance of global capital partnerships and resilient supply chains. As India scales solar and electric mobility, securing critical minerals and strengthening domestic manufacturing capabilities will be essential.

Building Digital and Deep-Tech Foundations

The final set of discussions focused on India’s expanding digital infrastructure ecosystem, including large-scale data centre investments and AI-driven demand. Shri Amitesh Kumar Sinha (Additional Secretary, MeitY) noted an impending USD 100 billion investment in data centres, urging close collaboration between lenders and technologists to remove the "fear factor" in deep tech appraisals. The concept of digital sovereignty and the development of domestic cloud infrastructure also featured prominently, alongside the growing importance of state-level policy support in attracting investment.

Delivering the closing remarks, Shri Satyendra Kumar Singh (DMD-CCG II, SBI) thanked stakeholders and reinforced that deep partnerships are central to SBI Chakra’s mission.

As SBI CHAKRA begins its journey, the defining message is that India’s sunrise sectors will scale most effectively through unified collaboration across capital, policy, technology, and industry.