Evidence ledger

What is confirmed

  • Sunil Mittal will step down from the board of Airtel Payments Bank on September 30, 2026, ending his tenure as non‑executive chairman.[1][2][3]
  • Shabnam Sinha has been appointed chairperson of Airtel Payments Bank for a three‑year term starting October 1, 2026.[1][3]

What remains disputed or unverified

No disputed central claims are recorded for this story.

Sunil Mittal will leave the board of Airtel Payments Bank on September 30, 2026, concluding his decade‑long stint as non‑executive chairman, while independent director Shabnam Sinha will assume the chairperson role for a three‑year term beginning October 1, 2026.[1][2][3]

Mittal’s decade‑long stewardship

Appointed in April 2016, Mittal oversaw the bank’s rise to become India’s largest payments bank by revenue, expanding its consumer and enterprise services to over 121 million monthly active users and nearly 30 million account holders, with a presence in three‑quarters of Indian villages.[1]

Sinha’s experience and agenda

Sinha, who chairs the board’s fraud‑monitoring committee and sits on risk‑management and IT committees, brings more than three decades of development‑finance expertise, including advisory work for the World Bank across Asia, Africa and Europe, and says she will focus on sustaining growth, widening reach and deepening financial inclusion through technology‑led services.[1]

Regulatory clearance and transition

The appointment has received approval from the Reserve Bank of India and awaits formal board ratification, with Sinha’s three‑year term set to commence on October 1, 2026, following the standard RBI clearance process for banking chairpersons.[1][3]

Version and update history
  1. Version 2 · — Developing story updated with new source evidence
  2. Version 1 · — Initial source-grounded generation