Core Insights - The banking hiring cycle in India is experiencing a resurgence, with top engineering and business schools seeing increased recruitment activity from private lenders and foreign banks [1][2] Group 1: Recruitment Trends - Major banks such as ICICI Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, HSBC India, and Citibank are actively recruiting from campuses, indicating a return to robust hiring practices [2][5] - The hiring landscape has shifted from the previous year, where hiring slowed due to high dependency on contract employees and reduced attrition rates [3] - Financial firms are focusing on long-term competitiveness and digital capabilities rather than merely filling vacancies [4] Group 2: Credit Growth and Hiring Needs - Bank credit growth reached 14.6% at the end of January, up from 11.4% a year ago, signaling a recovery in corporate credit demand and a need for more hires across various teams [5] - The financial sector is seeing a significant increase in student placements in finance, with over 21% of the 2026 batch securing roles in this area, compared to 14.5% in 2025 and 19% in 2024 [6] Group 3: Focus Areas for Recruitment - Recruitment is heavily concentrated in three key areas: global capability centers, investment and wealth management, and technology-led banking [7][8][13] - Global capability centers are being scaled for operations, compliance, and risk analytics, while investment and wealth management roles are expanding due to a growing equity savings culture in India [8] Group 4: Technology Integration - Banks are increasingly hiring engineers to support digital transformation and build new customer engagement architectures, reflecting a shift towards technology-led banking [13][14] - HSBC reported a fivefold increase in engineering hires over the past two years, emphasizing the importance of technology talent in their strategic shift [16] Group 5: Fresh Talent and Attrition - The influx of fresh talent is partly due to high attrition rates at entry-level positions, necessitating ongoing recruitment of new graduates [17]