State Bank of India (SBI) on Saturday unveiled SBI Chakra, a new Centre of Excellence designed to transform the way India finances its sunrise sectors. Focusing on eight sectors, ranging from semiconductors and green hydrogen to data centres and battery storage, SBI expects to attract capital expenditure of over Rs 100 lakh crore by 2030, creating new avenues for manufacturing, technology development, and large-scale employment.
Eight Pillars of Growth
By directing capital responsibly and strengthening risk assessment, SBI aims to ensure that India’s manufacturing ecosystem not only scales but also integrates sustainability with innovation at its core. “It is an industry-wide initiative rather than just an SBI effort, said CS Setty, Chairman, State Bank of India, who stated that Chakra’s core mission is to build deep sectoral expertise and strengthen the financial system’s ability to assess and fund next‑generation industries. “The aim is essentially to create capacity building for financing sunrise sectors,” Setty said, stating that over two dozen institutions have already partnered with SBI.
Chakra is not intended to be a think tank alone. Instead, it will function as a hands‑on platform that shapes risk‑assessment frameworks, supports policy advocacy, and helps design innovative capital structures. With emerging technologies carrying unique risks, Chakra will help lenders understand sector‑specific challenges and avoid premature bets. “Bankability is core to Chakra’s assessment… you should not rush and then regret financing a technology that is not stabilised,” added Setty.
A key feature of the initiative is collaborative financing. SBI has already signed MoUs with 21 financial institutions, including global players like MUFG and SMBC. Their project finance teams will work jointly with SBI’s Chakra unit to build capability and co‑finance projects. “Unless you are also providing the financing, nobody really takes you seriously,” said Setty. SBI Chakra will help structure and deploy capital rather than merely advise.
Collaborative Capital
Setty estimates that the eight identified sectors could generate debt opportunities of Rs 20–22 lakh crore over the next five years, supported by a mix of domestic banks, global lenders, multilateral agencies, and patient capital providers.