Finance Forward

  Audits in India are about to look very different. Until now, they meant piles of files, long travel for auditors, and months of delays. But starting November 2025, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) will move everything to a new online system called CAG-Connect . This is like moving from typewriters to cloud apps overnight. Instead of chasing paperwork, auditors will log in to a single dashboard that pulls data from India’s digital systems—things like state financial accounts, e-procurement records, and even geospatial maps. The real game-changer is AI.  CAG is building its own large language model, CAG-LLM , that works like a specialized chatbot for government accounts. With Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), it can pull information from different sources, link it together, and explain patterns in plain language. So instead of auditors digging through spreadsheets line by line, the system highlights unusual trends - say, a sudden spike in spending on a project or...

So, when ChatGPT first made headlines, a lot of people thought: “Cool, students now have a machine to do their essays.” But here’s the twist it’s not just students. Everyone from lawyers to travel junkies to tired parents planning dinner are sneaking ChatGPT into their daily routines. Think of it less like a robot doing your homework and more like a Swiss Army knife for thinking, writing, and problem-solving. Let’s break it down. What’s Happening? People are using ChatGPT in five big ways: work, learning, life hacks, creativity, and just plain fun. At work, employees are asking it to draft emails, summarize reports, or explain complex data without the jargon. Programmers? They’re debugging code or asking ChatGPT to write quick scripts. It’s like having an unpaid intern minus the coffee runs. In learning, students and lifelong learners treat it like a 24/7 tutor. Whether it’s explaining calculus in plain English or practicing Spanish, ChatGPT makes complex stuff feel way less scary. ...

Imagine standing in a long queue at a government office, holding stacks of documents, only to be told to return the next day. Now contrast this with filing taxes, applying for subsidies, or renewing licenses—all from your smartphone. That’s the promise of E-Governance , a rapidly growing market projected to touch USD 50.4 billion by 2032 , with a CAGR of 11.7% . The transformation is not merely technological; it’s a shift in how states engage with citizens. The Rise of E-Governance At its core, E-Governance (electronic governance) refers to the use of digital platforms by governments to deliver services, increase transparency, and engage with citizens. It blends technology with administration—like replacing an outdated manual ledger with a smart dashboard accessible in real time. Growth is driven by multiple factors: governments pushing digital transformation to cut costs, smartphone and internet penetration (India already has over 750 million users), advanced technologies like AI, ...

Artificial Intelligence is evolving rapidly, and its newest frontier, known as Agentic AI , is beginning to reshape how the banking industry operates. Unlike earlier AI models that merely responded to prompts, agentic systems are designed to act with autonomy. They can initiate actions, complete multi-step processes, and make decisions without constant human oversight. This shift promises enormous efficiency gains for banks but also raises significant concerns around security, ethics, and governance. The appeal of agentic AI lies in its ability to transform routine operations. Already, around 41% of organisations in Australia report using some form of agentic AI and that's a huge number, and by 2029 it is projected that nearly 80% of customer service issues could be handled autonomously (Banker's jobs??). For banks, this translates into faster response times, reduced costs, and an enhanced customer experience. Compliance monitoring is also evolving, with solutions such as Proo...

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer a futuristic concept — it is here, actively shaping how decisions are made, risks are managed, and careers are evolving. Yesterday, I had the privilege of addressing students at Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of Management (LBSIM), Dwarka, New Delhi , on the fascinating intersection of AI and finance. The session was an engaging exchange of ideas, where we explored not just how AI is transforming industries today, but also how aspiring professionals can prepare themselves for tomorrow. The discussion began with a critical question: Am I still relevant in a world where machines are becoming smarter every day? This is a question every finance professional must ask. From there, we examined real-world applications — how AI is driving efficiency in banking, consulting, and taxation . Generative AI, for instance, is estimated to add $2.6–$4.4 trillion in annual economic value globally, with financial services accounting for a major share through ri...