India, June 17 -- Private sector lender Axis Bank is planning to expand its presence in Eastern India by opening 50 new branches across the region, including West Bengal, Sikkim and the Northeast.

Reynold D'Souza, Group Head - Branch Banking (North & TASC Business), told IBNS that the expansion is aimed at strengthening customer engagement and advisory-led banking.

"We are confident that the technology we are deploying will enable customers to carry out transactions online, allowing us to serve them more efficiently in the future," he said.

Rural lending in the state has also shown strong growth, with the rural loan book rising 14% year-on-year as of FY26. The growth has been driven by demand from agriculture, allied activities and sma...