India Is Almost Fully Banked. Here's How 99.92% of Villages Now Have Banking Access

India's long push to bring banking to every corner of the country is nearing completion.

The Finance Ministry on Monday said 99.92% of India's inhabited villages now have access to a banking outlet within a 5-km radius, marking one of the biggest milestones in the country's financial inclusion journey.

According to data uploaded on the Jan Dhan Darshak (JDD) App, 6,00,868 of India's 6,01,328 inhabited villages are now covered by either a bank branch, a Business Correspondent (BC) or an India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) centre.

The expansion has been driven by a rapidly growing banking network. As of July 17, 2026, India had more than 1.81 lakh bank branches, 17.36 lakh Business Correspondents and 1.65 lakh India Post Payments Bank centres, significantly improving access to formal banking services in rural and remote areas.

The government said its objective has been to ensure that every inhabited village has a banking outlet within a 5-km radius. To support this, the Reserve Bank of India has allowed commercial banks, small finance banks, payments banks, regional rural banks and local area banks to open branches anywhere in the country without prior approval, provided at least 25% of new branches are opened in unbanked rural areas.

The expansion has also been reflected in the success of the Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana (PMJDY). As of July 17, 58.77 crore Jan Dhan accounts had been opened, holding deposits worth more than ₹3.12 lakh crore.

Alongside physical banking infrastructure, the government has expanded its digital financial ecosystem. Platforms such as the Jan Samarth Portal, Kisan Rin Portal, NABARD's e-KYC application and KRISHIKA are being used to streamline loan applications, beneficiary verification and agricultural credit delivery.

The Finance Ministry also highlighted steps being taken to tackle cyber fraud as digital payments continue to surge. These include the establishment of the India Digital Payment Intelligence Corporation for real-time fraud monitoring, the RBI's AI-powered MuleHunter tool to detect money mule accounts, and the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal and 1930 helpline for citizens to report financial fraud.

The information was provided by Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.

(With inputs from ANI)