Advisor
Dr. R. B. Barman, former Executive Director of the Reserve Bank of India, is a highly esteemed expert in statistics, applied economics, and payment systems. With a distinguished career spanning decades, he has played a pivotal role in shaping India’s financial and payments infrastructure.
He was instrumental in the development of the Reserve Bank’s Data Warehouse for Business Intelligence and in driving key digital payment systems including RTGS, NEFT, and NECS. He also played a foundational role in the establishment of the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) as a not-for-profit organization.
As Adviser to NPCI since 2009, Dr. Barman continues to guide the organization on technology matters, supporting its emergence as a global leader in retail payments, including the development and widespread adoption of the Unified Payments Interface (UPI).
Dr. Barman also served as Chairman of the National Statistical Commission (Ex-officio Minister of State, Government of India) from 2016–18, where he set a strong direction for modernizing India’s statistical systems through digital transformation.
His leadership roles include serving as President of The Indian Econometric Society and Vice-Chairman of the Irving Fisher Committee on Central Bank Statistics at the Bank for International Settlements (BIS).
Dr. Barman is the recipient of the prestigious National Award in Official Statistics – 2021, instituted by the Government of India in memory of Prof. P. C. Mahalanobis.
