The Reserve Bank of India granted regulatory approval on 3 December 2025 for Vikram Sahu to serve as Chief Executive Officer of Bank of America N.A.'s India operations, according to an internal memorandum cited by Reuters. The appointment ends the tenure of Kaku Nakhate, who led the India business for approximately 15 years and was one of the longest-serving country heads of any major international bank in India.
Nakhate will not leave the organisation but will transition to the position of Chair India, a senior advisory and representational role that allows her continued engagement with key clients, regulators, and institutional stakeholders. Sahu, in his new capacity as CEO, will report to Jin Su, President of Asia Pacific for Bank of America, placing the India business firmly within the bank's regional operating structure.
SAHU'S MANDATE AND REPORTING LINES
Vikram Sahu's appointment brings new leadership to one of the largest international banking franchises operating in India. Bank of America's India operations encompass corporate and investment banking, treasury and global markets services, and support functions serving the bank's global network. The India platform has grown in strategic importance as multinational corporations deepen their supply chain and investment links with the country.
Sahu's reporting line to Jin Su, who oversees the Asia Pacific region from Singapore, reflects the bank's management structure for international markets. Country CEOs at large international banks in India operate within a dual accountability framework — to the regional leadership for business performance and to the local board and regulators for governance and compliance matters. The RBI's role in approving the appointment is consistent with Indian regulatory requirements for senior management positions at foreign bank branches and subsidiaries.
Nakhate's move to Chair India is a structure that allows a departing leader to remain connected to the business in a non-executive capacity. The arrangement provides continuity in client and regulatory relationships during the leadership transition and is a common model used by international banks when changing country heads who have built significant institutional relationships over long tenures.
NAKHATE'S LEGACY IN INDIA
Kaku Nakhate's approximately 15-year tenure as India CEO placed her among the most prominent figures in institutional banking in the country. Her period of leadership spanned multiple cycles of regulatory reform, market development, and macroeconomic change — including the introduction of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, successive waves of banking sector consolidation, and India's emergence as one of the world's fastest-growing major economies.
She was widely recognised in Indian financial circles for her role in expanding Bank of America's relationships with Indian corporates and government entities at a time when cross-border capital flows and mergers and acquisitions activity involving Indian companies grew substantially. Her transition to a chairmanship role preserves the institutional knowledge and relationships she built during that period.
The RBI approval process for senior banking appointments reflects the regulator's longstanding practice of maintaining oversight over the individuals who lead banks and banking operations in India. Approvals are typically sought well in advance of any public announcement, meaning the internal memo circulated in advance of the formal confirmation of Sahu's role.