The goal of all Women’s Bank is to support women in the country, said Usha Ananthasubramanian, first CEO of the India’s all women bank, in an exclusive interview with DD News.

Usha, citing a research surveyed by a firm in 128 countries, said the status and economic empowerment of women in our country is very low as compared with some other countries. Improving the status and the livelihood of women is the single most important way in improving the standard of living, she said.

‘Many women do not control cash at home even in metropolitan cities like Delhi, Mumbai etc. The bank will help in supporting women by giving advice and in a sustainable way. When women’s income increases, it will improve significantly in the society as well, Usha said.

Recently, Finance Minister P Chidambaram identifies Usha Ananthasubramanian, executive director of Punjab National Bank, to be the chief executive of Bhartiya Mahila Bank, which will launch its operations from November with six branches.

After starting with one branch in each banking region, the bank will expand to 500 branches by the fourth year of operation.

Usha started her career in 1982 at Bank of Baroda as a specialist officer in the planning stream. She holds a dual master’s degree – in statistics from the Madras University and in ancient Indian culture from the Mumbai University.

She has attended the leadership & corporate excellence management programme at Kellogg School of Management and a programme at Indian School of Business. She has also been associated with Bank of Baroda’s transformation projects, including its rebranding and HR initiatives.