Pvt banks ramp up campus hiring amid credit growth

Banking hiring is rebounding, with private lenders eyeing niche finance and tech expertise

- Pratishtha Bagai & Shayan Ghosh

Finance placements are rising sharply, with over 21% of a major business school's 2026 batch entering the sector, up from 14.5% a year earlier.

(ISTOCKPHOTO)

The banking hiring cycle has turned, with top campuses regaining momentum and premier engineering and business schools buzzing again.

In the hushed corridors of IIT campuses and the polished atriums of leading B-schools, recruiters from private lenders and foreign banks are back in force—testing, interviewing and handing out offers to top candidates.

The placement websites display the names of ICICI Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, HSBC India, IDFC First Bank, Citibank, Axis Bank and a growing list of global wealth management companies. Banking, financial services and insurance firms have not just returned to campuses, they have arrived with a sharper focus, deeper pockets and very clear script for where the talent will go.

Last year, the picture looked very different. The post-pandemic frenzy in hiring had ebbed, and lenders were also hiring fewer people due to slow attrition and higher dependency on contract employees.