Government owned State Bank of India (SBI) is the country’s largest banking institution with a total of 24,000 branches and 190 foreign offices scattered around the world. The bank’s skilful legal team has been an important part in its exponential growth over the last few years, supporting the full scope of its broad service offering to corporate, SME, NRI and retail customers. 2017 has been a particularly noteworthy year for the team as it has played a pivotal role in the merger process of SBI with its five associate banks and Bharatiya Mahila Bank – the first ever large scale consolidation in India’s banking industry. The function’s vast technical understanding of the most intricate nuances of the sector ensured the swift closure of the transaction in just three months. The team has also had to deal with increasing levels of work arising as a consequence of the transaction, as over 1,500 branches had to be rationalised.