Nagaland: BOB showcases digital banking at Hornbill Festival

Bank of Baroda (BoB), one of India’s leading public sector banks, partnered with the Government of Nagaland for the Hornbill Festival 2025, held from December 1 to 10 at the Kisama Heritage Village near Kohima. The collaboration highlights the Bank’s continued focus on supporting regional growth and development in North East India, with a special emphasis on Nagaland.
An engagement stall set up by the Bank was inaugurated by minister of Higher Education & Tourism, Temjen Imna Along, in the presence of managing director & CEO, Bank of Baroda Dr. Debadatta Chand, executive director, Bank of Baroda, Beena Vaheed and zonal head – North Eastern States, Bank of Baroda, Shiba Pada Nayak. Senior officials from the Tourism Department, including director of tourism, Veyielo Doulo and joint director of Tourism, Toka E. Tuccumi, were also present.
The Bank’s stall offered comprehensive product information, digital banking demonstrations, and facilitated direct interaction with artisans, entrepreneurs, tourists and community groups. These initiatives aligned with the State Government’s vision of promoting financial literacy, encouraging digital payments, fostering grassroots entrepreneurship, and expanding access to formal financial services across Nagaland.
During the festival, Dr. Chand and Vaheed met Union Minister of Communications and Minister for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, to discuss opportunities for strengthening the Bank’s engagement in the North East through enhanced financial inclusion. The Nagaland State Government hosted Dr. Chand and Vaheed as State Guests, and they were felicitated on the sixth day of the festival.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Debadatta Chand said that the Bank’s partnership with the Hornbill Festival 2025 reflects its strategic focus on advancing credit flow, deepening financial inclusion, accelerating branch expansion, and fostering sustainable socio-economic growth in Nagaland and the wider North East. He added that with plans to expand the branch network alongside the newly inaugurated Guwahati Zonal Office, the Bank aims to empower local communities through improved access to credit, digital banking and customised financial solutions.
Beena Vaheed said the Hornbill Festival serves not only as a cultural platform but also as an opportunity for the Bank to reaffirm its commitment to making banking more accessible, inclusive and development-oriented for the people of the state and the region.
Dr. Chand and Vaheed also paid a courtesy visit to chief secretary, Sentiyanger Imchen, where discussions were held on expanding financial inclusion, accelerating credit flow into priority sectors, and supporting youth-led ventures, artisans, self-help groups and local entrepreneurs.
Bank of Baroda has significantly strengthened its presence in North East India with three Regional Offices and 197 branches, of which 61 per cent are located in rural and semi-urban areas. The recent inauguration of a new Zonal Office in Guwahati to oversee all North Eastern states is expected to enhance administrative efficiency and support the Bank’s strategy of branch expansion alongside digital growth.