Piramal Finance: AI Lifts Output in City Branches, While Gold Loan and Rural Branches Grow

Piramal Finance says AI is helping it grow without adding staff in proportion. Productivity in its mature urban business improved by 30 to 35% over the past year, with only marginal headcount growth, ETHRWorld reported on 10 November 2026. Disbursement productivity rose by about 30 to 31%. Chief Human Resources Officer Manjul Tilak framed the gains as higher output, not job cuts.

The same report said hiring continues in the company's newer, faster-growing businesses: gold loans and microfinance.

Where Piramal Finance is expanding

The branch figures from the company's July to September 2026 investor presentation, as reported by Multibagg, show the shift:

• Gold loan branches: 100 in September 2026, up from 22 in March 2026. Management says it is on track for 200 by the end of FY27.
• Rural branches: 203, up from 136.
• Urban branches: 535, down from 543.
• Total: 838 branches, up from 701.

Rural micro-loan assets nearly doubled in a year, to ₹1,762 crore in September 2026. For the quarter, the company reported a profit of ₹545 crore, up 67%, and assets under management above ₹1.10 lakh crore (Kotak Neo).

How AI is used

In a People Matters interview in May 2026, Tilak said AI is used across sales, underwriting, collections, audit, compliance, customer experience and people management. More than 260 frontline candidates were interviewed through AI-led systems in January to March 2026. The process covered resume screening, voice-based interviews in the candidate's preferred language and scheduling, including weekends.

He said business growth over the past two years has clearly outpaced growth in operations headcount. On skills, he told People Matters: "Human capabilities such as judgement, empathy, collaboration and leadership will become even more valuable."

What this means for job seekers

The pattern is clear. Process work in mature city operations is being automated. New jobs are being created where the work needs a person on the ground.

Gold loans are a good example. In Finploy's experience, middle-office jobs shrink where a product is fully digital, as with personal loans applied for in an app. They hold up where a physical asset must be checked. A gold loan cannot be given without someone weighing and checking the gold at a branch.

Finploy's job data shows the same tilt. Of every 100 posts that lenders and insurers have placed on Finploy, 98 are front-office sales and relationship roles. About 8 in 10 of them accept freshers, and about 2 in 3 are outside the eight big metros (Finploy data, October 2026).

If you want to work in this part of lending

• Gold loan branches: learn how gold is appraised and how a loan is valued against it. Customer handling and trust matter as much as the process.
• Rural and micro loans: expect field work, early starts and local-language conversations. Lenders value people who know the area.
• Interviews by AI: some lenders now screen and interview frontline candidates through AI systems. Speak clearly, answer directly, and use the language you are most comfortable in if you are given a choice.
• Office roles: learn the tools your team uses. AI fluency is becoming a basic expectation in finance, operations, risk and compliance roles.

Frequently asked questions

How much did AI improve productivity at Piramal Finance?

ETHRWorld reported on 10 November 2026 that productivity in Piramal Finance's mature urban business improved by 30 to 35% over the past year, with only marginal headcount growth. Disbursement productivity rose by about 30 to 31%.

Is Piramal Finance still hiring?

Yes. Hiring continues in its newer, faster-growing businesses, gold loans and microfinance. Gold loan branches rose from 22 in March 2026 to 100 in September 2026, with 200 targeted by the end of FY27, and rural branches rose from 136 to 203.

Does Piramal Finance use AI in hiring?

Yes. More than 260 frontline candidates were interviewed through AI-led systems in January to March 2026, CHRO Manjul Tilak told People Matters. The process included resume screening, voice-based interviews in the candidate's preferred language and automated scheduling.