Prajnan: Journal of Banking and Financial Management

On the eve of the 90th anniversary of the Reserve Bank of India, this article sheds light on its journey, key milestones and contributions. The Reserve Bank of India followed a unique and sustainable path for building the national economy on strong pillars, established wide institutional and financial infrastructure, adopted appropriate monetary, regulatory and other policies coupled with timely reforms, sailed the country ahead through multiple crises, and placed it into new orbits to attain the goals of macroeconomic and price stability, financial stability, growth and financial inclusion.

JEL Codes: E50, E52, E58

In light of the rapid development of digital banking technology, this study investigates the perceptions of bank customers and officers on the continued relevance of branch banking. The research examines whether branch banking is still important in the present FinTech-driven landscape. Garrett’s Ranking Method is employed to analyse the collected responses, providing an in-depth understanding of the factors that influence the sustained preference for branch banking despite the widespread adoption of digital channels. The results show a consensus among customers and officers, highlighting the relevance of branch banking supported by digital banking services, forming a hybrid approach. The findings emphasize that while digital banking offers convenience, physical branches remain pivotal for addressing complex banking needs and fostering trust. This study contributes to the ongoing discourse on the future of branch banking by affirming that the cohabitation of traditional and digital banking channels is vital for meeting diverse customer needs/expectations.

JEL Codes: G21, O33, L86, D83, M15, L22

Thriving in today’s complex and sophisticated financial marketplaces depends on the capacity to make sustainable financial decisions that enhance future well-being, for which financial literacy is a pathway. This study examines the financial literacy of college teachers in Arunachal Pradesh, India, with the aim of understanding their financial knowledge, attitudes and behaviours. It also explores the factors that influence their personal financial planning (PFP) behaviour. Using a structured questionnaire, researchers conducted a census survey among 210 teachers in the region. The findings reveal that tax-paying teachers generally have a higher level of financial literacy, in terms of knowledge and behaviour, compared to their non-tax-paying counterparts. However, both groups exhibit similarly positive attitudes towards financial matters. The analysis identified eight key factors affecting PFP behaviour: money management, debt management, tax planning, retirement planning, insurance, investment, real estate, and overall financial planning. These results underscore the importance of developing targeted financial education programmes to improve teachers’ financial literacy.

JEL Codes: G53, I22, D14

The current research attempts to identify publication trends, prominent authors, top journals, most frequently occurring keywords, top organizations and highly cited research articles, as well as distinctive themes in the context of women’s financial literacy, using VOSviewer and Biblioshiny. A total of 304 documents on women’s financial literacy were extracted from the Scopus database, covering the period from 1986 to 2023. Further content analysis is used to identify the predominant themes, such as gender and financial literacy, dimensions of financial literacy, financial inclusion and retirement planning. The results discovered that Sabri MF is the most prolific author; the Journal of Consumer Affairs is the top journal; the most frequently used keyword is ‘financial literacy’; Europe, America and Asia have the highest region-wise contribution; Universiti Putra Malaysia has the most publications; and Lusardi, Mitchell, and Curto (2010, Journal of Consumer Affairs, 44(2), 358–380) is the most cited document. There has been a plethora of research focused on general financial literacy, as well as relating financial literacy and retirement planning. This study is limited to a bibliometric analysis of literature on women’s financial literacy over the past 37 years.

JEL Codes: G53, J26, D14, G11, G51