Mumbai – Venator Search Partners, a a retained executive search firm specializing in senior leadership hiring in the banking and financial services sector, has led the appointment of Sanjeev Singha as the first Chief Executive Officer of the Association of Small Finance Banks of India (ASFBI), effective August 25, 2025.
Singha, a career central banker with more than three decades at the Reserve Bank of India, brings policy depth and operational experience to the role. In his last assignment as Regional Director of the RBI in Guwahati, he played a key role in strengthening the financial ecosystem of the North-East. His tenure saw the opening of new RBI offices in Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh and he oversaw critical currency operations, including the emergency airlift of cash to Manipur during the 2023 unrest.
An alumnus of the Delhi School of Economics with a Master’s in Economics, Singha is widely regarded for blending regulatory expertise with on-ground execution.
“I am honoured to lead the Association of Small Finance Banks of India at this crucial stage. Small Finance Banks have been instrumental in advancing financial inclusion, and I look forward to working with all stakeholders to further strengthen the sector and drive inclusive growth,”,” Singha said.
Venator Search Partners, which has facilitated more than 59 C-suite appointments across banks, small finance banks, non-banking finance companies and housing finance companies, said the appointment underscored the growing maturity of the SFB ecosystem.
“Small Finance Banks are a relatively new but rapidly evolving sector. SFBs continue to redefine themselves with changing business models while the regulator plays a crucial role in their maturity. There are multiple initiatives that can be taken at the industry level and Mr. Singha will be instrumental in spearheading them,”said Deepraditya Datta, Co-Founder of Venator Search Partners.
With Singha’s appointment, ASFBI is expected to accelerate its transformation agenda and consolidate the market positioning of Small Finance Banks.
