Banking Awareness is one of the most important areas to prepare for the SBI PO Interview 2026 because the panel can test whether a candidate understands the banking system they are seeking to join. Questions may range from basic concepts such as CRR, SLR, Repo Rate, NPA, KYC, Commercial Paper, CTS and MICR to current developments involving RBI regulations, digital banking, UPI, financial inclusion, NBFCs and SBI itself. The SBI PO Interview Guide specifically lists questions on CRR and SLR, Repo and Reverse Repo, NPA, NABARD, scheduled banks, KYC, CTS, MICR, different types of accounts, FD versus RD and fintech among previously asked banking-awareness areas.
Banking Awareness for SBI PO Interview 2026
Banking Awareness for the SBI PO Interview should be prepared differently from objective examination preparation. Candidates should not simply memorise full forms and numerical facts; they should understand what a banking concept means, why it exists and how it affects a bank or its customers. For example, if the panel asks about the Repo Rate, the candidate should know its definition as well as how changes in the Repo Rate can affect lending rates, liquidity, borrowing, inflation and economic activity.
Previous SBI PO interview experiences also indicate that questions can move beyond basic banking terminology to subjects such as RBI functions, monetary policy, financial inclusion, mutual funds, the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, digital banking, blockchain, banking frauds, the economy and SBI’s role in digital banking.
SBI PO Banking Awareness PDFs 2026
The following month-wise Banking & Financial Awareness PDFs can be used for preparation. The PDFs progressively cover RBI policies, banking regulations, digital payments, banking products, NBFCs, financial markets, insurance and important economic developments.
| Month | Banking & Financial Awareness PDF | Major Areas Covered |
| January 2026 | January Banking & Financial Awareness PDF | Banking products, UPI, digital payments, GDP projections, RBI updates, appointments and government schemes |
| February 2026 | February Banking & Financial Awareness PDF | RBI MPC, risk-based deposit insurance, MSE credit, customer protection, Mission SAKSHAM and digital payments |
| March 2026 | March Banking & Financial Awareness PDF | RBI regulations, Payments Vision 2028, digital fraud, LRS, NOP-INR, SEBI reforms and green finance |
| April 2026 | April Banking & Financial Awareness PDF | RBI monetary policy, Utkarsh 2029, CBDC, SEBI, IRDAI, economy, insurance and mergers |
| May 2026 | May Banking & Financial Awareness PDF | NBFC framework, UCB norms, CCyB, IFR, Q-SAFE, Pillar 3 disclosures, capital markets and insurance |
| June 2026 | June Banking & Financial Awareness PDF | RBI monetary policy, governance reforms, foreign capital, customer protection, banking and economic indicators |
| July 2026 | July Banking & Financial Awareness PDF | RBI FI Index, banking regulations, UPI expansion, polymer banknotes, SBI bonds, EGRs and NBFC developments |
| August 2026 | August Banking & Financial Awareness PDF | RBI MPC, Basel III, NBFC-UL, interest-rate reforms, bulk deposits, UPI, SBI developments and insurance |
Important Banking Awareness Topics for SBI PO Interview 2026
The highest-priority areas include
- RBI and monetary policy;
- CRR, SLR, Repo Rate, SDF, MSF and Bank Rate;
- RBI functions and the Monetary Policy Committee;
- Types of banks and accounts; NPAs and asset quality;
- Basel norms and bank capital; KYC and AML;
- Priority Sector Lending;
- NABARD, SIDBI and other financial institutions;
- DICGC and deposit insurance; UPI, NEFT, RTGS, IMPS, AePS and CBDC;
- NPCI and digital banking; financial inclusion and PMJDY;
- NBFCs, UCBs, RRBs, Small Finance Banks and Payments Banks;
- Bonds, T-Bills, Commercial Paper and Certificates of Deposit;
- Mutual funds, REITs and InvITs;
- SEBI, IRDAI and PFRDA; and SBI’s history, leadership, subsidiaries
- YONO, CHAKRA and recent banking initiatives.
Latest Banking Awareness Snapshot for SBI PO Interview 2026
Candidates should be able to quote the latest important banking figures and then explain their relevance.
- The RBI’s August 2026 data showed the Repo Rate at 5.25%, SDF at 5.00%, MSF at 5.50%, Bank Rate at 5.50%, CRR at 3.00% and SLR at 18.00%.
- The August Banking & Financial Awareness PDF also records that the RBI MPC maintained a neutral stance, with FY27 real GDP growth projected at 6.7% and CPI inflation at 5%.
- RBI’s Financial Inclusion Index reached 70.0 in March 2026, up from 67 a year earlier, and measures inclusion through Access, Usage and Quality.
- Meanwhile, 99.92% of inhabited villages had a banking outlet within 5 km, supported by more than 1.81 lakh bank branches, 17.36 lakh Business Correspondents and 1.65 lakh IPPB centres.
- As of 17 July 2026, India had 58.77 crore PMJDY accounts with ₹3,12,414 crore in balances.
- For digital banking, NPCI reported 24,508.96 million UPI transactions worth ₹29,82,355.95 crore in August 2026, with 752 banks live on UPI.
- SBI’s current Board lists Challa Sreenivasulu Setty as Chairman, while SBI describes itself as India’s largest banking and financial-services organisation.
- SBI also launched CHAKRA – Centre of Excellence for Sunrise Sectors on 31 January 2026, focusing on eight sunrise sectors.
SBI PO Banking Awareness Quiz 2026
Solve 100 Banking Awareness questions for the SBI PO Interview 2026. For the SBI PO Interview 2026, candidates should therefore combine three areas: static banking knowledge, SBI-specific knowledge, and current banking/financial developments from 2026.
1. In which year was the Reserve Bank of India established?
2. RBI was established under which Act?
3. When was the Reserve Bank of India nationalised?
4. Which commission recommended the establishment of the RBI?
5. Who was the first Governor of the RBI?
6. Who was the first Indian Governor of RBI?
7. Who is the RBI Governor in 2026?
8. Where is the headquarters of RBI located?
9. How many members are there in India’s Monetary Policy Committee?
10. What is the RBI policy Repo Rate as per the August 2026 monetary policy?
11. What is the Standing Deposit Facility rate?
12. What is the Marginal Standing Facility rate?
13. What is the Bank Rate?
14. What is the Cash Reserve Ratio?
15. What is the Statutory Liquidity Ratio?
16. What does the Repo Rate primarily represent?
17. What is the primary purpose of the Standing Deposit Facility?
18. Banks maintain CRR with which institution?
19. SLR requires banks to maintain a prescribed proportion of their liabilities in what form?
20. RBI’s Open Market Operations primarily involve the purchase and sale of what?
21. A term loan is generally classified as an NPA when interest or principal remains overdue for more than how many days?
22. Net NPA is broadly calculated by deducting what from Gross NPA?
23. What is the maximum deposit-insurance cover provided by DICGC per depositor per bank?
24. What does KYC stand for?
25. What does AML stand for in banking?
26. CASA deposits consist of which accounts?
27. Which of the following are classified as demand deposits?
28. What is a Fixed Deposit?
29. What distinguishes a Recurring Deposit from a Fixed Deposit?
30. Which account is primarily suitable for businesses requiring frequent transactions?
31. What is Commercial Paper?
32. What is a Certificate of Deposit?
33. Treasury Bills in India are issued by whom?
34. Which are the standard Treasury Bill maturities in India?
35. Call Money usually refers to funds borrowed and lent for what period?
36. What does MCLR stand for?
37. What does EBLR stand for?
38. A Scheduled Bank is one included in which Schedule of the RBI Act, 1934?
39. What does NABARD stand for?
40. What does SIDBI stand for?
41. What is the principal objective of Regional Rural Banks?
42. Small Finance Banks primarily aim to promote what?
43. Which activity is generally not permitted for Payments Banks?
44. Which type of deposit can NBFCs generally not accept?
45. Urban Co-operative Banks combine banking functions with which institutional structure?
46. The Banking Regulation Act was enacted in which year?
47. FEMA was enacted in which year?
48. Which Act primarily governs payment systems in India?
49. The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code was enacted in which year?
50. The SARFAESI Act was enacted in which year?
Quiz Summary
Sign Up
Or, register with email
Email Id
Mobile Number
Password
Login
Email Id
Password
Forgot Password
Please enter the Email ID we will send you a Email with the link to reset the password.
Email Id
Or, login with
51. NPCI was incorporated in which year?
52. UPI was launched in which year?
53. What is the key feature of IMPS?
54. Which statement about NEFT is correct?
55. What is the minimum amount for an RTGS transaction?
56. What does Cheque Truncation System primarily eliminate?
57. What does MICR stand for?
58. How many characters are there in an Indian IFSC code?
59. SWIFT is primarily used for what?
60. What does AePS stand for?
61. Which regulator oversees India’s securities market?
62. Which regulator oversees India’s insurance sector?
63. Which regulator primarily oversees the pension sector and National Pension System?
64. In a mutual fund, NAV stands for what?
65. What does a REIT primarily invest in?
66. InvITs primarily provide a structure for investment in what?
67. A bond represents which type of financial instrument?
68. What does an equity share generally represent?
69. A derivative derives its value primarily from what?
70. What are Electronic Gold Receipts?
71. What was RBI’s Financial Inclusion Index for March 2026?
72. RBI’s Financial Inclusion Index is based on which three broad dimensions?
73. Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana was launched in which year?
74. How many PMJDY accounts were reported as of 17 July 2026?
75. What percentage of India’s inhabited villages were reported to have a banking outlet within a 5-km radius?
76. What was UPI’s transaction volume in August 2026?
77. What was the total value of UPI transactions in August 2026?
78. How many banks were live on UPI in August 2026?
79. What does BC stand for in the context of last-mile banking services?
80. What is the principal role of the Account Aggregator framework?
81. On what date was State Bank of India constituted?
82. SBI was formed by taking over the undertaking of which institution?
83. Where is SBI headquartered?
84. Who is the Chairman of SBI in 2026?
85. What is the full form of SBI’s YONO platform?
86. When did SBI launch CHAKRA, its Centre of Excellence for Sunrise Sectors?
87. How many sunrise sectors are covered by SBI CHAKRA?
88. What is the primary purpose of SBI CHAKRA?
89. SBI Life Insurance is a joint venture between SBI and which company?
90. SBI announced plans in August 2026 to raise its AI-based cheque-processing threshold to what amount?
91. From which date was RBI’s Risk-Based Premium framework for deposit insurance scheduled to replace the flat-rate system?
92. RBI doubled the collateral-free loan limit for Micro and Small Enterprises to what amount?
93. Approximately how many participants were targeted for training and certification under Mission SAKSHAM for Urban Co-operative Banks?
94. What is the theme of RBI’s Payments Vision 2028?
95. RBI’s March 2026 directions capped banks’ Net Open Position in Rupee at what level at the end of each business day?
96. What is the implementation period of RBI’s Utkarsh 2029 strategy?
97. How much surplus did RBI approve for transfer to the Central Government for FY26 according to the May 2026 Banking & Financial Awareness material?
98. Who chaired/convened RBI’s Q-SAFE expert committee on quantum risks in finance?
99. RBI deferred the final Basel III Pillar 3 disclosure guidelines to which date?
100. RBI’s revised directions on loan recovery and recovery agents are scheduled to take effect from which date?
Quiz Summary
Sign Up
Or, register with email
Email Id
Mobile Number
Password
Login
Email Id
Password
Forgot Password
Please enter the Email ID we will send you a Email with the link to reset the password.
Email Id
Or, login with
| Free Exam Preparation PDFs | Download Link |
| Last 6 Months’ Current Affairs in Hindi & English | Click Here |
| Monthly Current Affairs | Click Here |
| Weekly Current Affairs | Click Here |
| Daily Current Affairs | Click Here |
| Banking and Financial Awareness | Click Here |
| 100 Important Banking Terms | Click Here |
| Speed Math Kit | Click Here |
- SBI PO Interview Banking Awareness 2026, Attempt FREE Quiz
- SBI PO Interview Experience, Real Candidate Feedback
- SBI PO Psychometric Test Do’s & Don’ts 2026
- SBI PO GE vs Interview 2026: What to Expect?
- SBI PO GE Sample Topics & Practice Exercises 2026
- SBI PO GE Do’s & Don’ts 2026: Tips to Perform Well
Hi, I’m Tripti, a senior content writer at Oliveboard, where I manage blog content along with community engagement across platforms like Telegram and WhatsApp. With 3+ years of experience in content and SEO optimization related to banking exams, I have led content for popular exams like SSC, banking, railway, and state exams.