IIBF Digital Banking study plan

IIBF Digital Banking · Give each week a clear focus.

8 weeks · About 7 hours per week

Week 1

Digital Banking

Map the full Digital Banking syllabus into a one-page topic tree covering channels, payments, products, regulation, security and delivery models
Define and write working definitions for core terms such as internet banking, mobile banking, UPI, NEFT, RTGS, IMPS, wallet, prepaid instrument and neobank
Distinguish the roles of RBI, NPCI, IDRBT and banks in India's digital payment ecosystem in a comparison table
Build a personal glossary file with at least 40 terms and one-line definitions

A one-page syllabus topic tree plus a 40-term glossary file, both dated and saved

Week 2

Trace the evolution of Indian digital banking from core banking solutions to API-based and app-only models
Compare traditional branch, internet, mobile, wallet and neo-banking channels on cost, access and control
Explain the mechanics of NEFT, RTGS, IMPS and UPI including settlement timing, limits and participants
Summarise the Unified Payments Interface flow from payer app to beneficiary bank in your own numbered steps

A two-page comparison sheet of channels and payment rails with timing, limits and participants

Week 3

Describe the payments regulatory stack: Payment and Settlement Systems Act, PPI Master Directions, UPI guidelines and KYC norms
Explain the role of Aadhaar, e-KYC, video KYC and digital signatures in customer onboarding
Identify the main compliance obligations for a bank offering digital channels, including dispute handling and grievance redressal
Practice 30 mixed-format questions on payments and regulation and log every error with a reason

A regulation cheat sheet of 15 rules, each with the instrument it comes from and one exam-style trigger phrase

Week 4

Explain digital security controls: two-factor authentication, tokenisation, encryption, TLS and secure element storage
Distinguish common fraud types such as phishing, vishing, SIM swap, account takeover and QR-code fraud by attack vector
List customer protection measures including zero liability rules, transaction limits and cooling periods for new beneficiaries
Draw the incident response flow from fraud detection to chargeback and reporting

A fraud-and-security reference card listing 10 fraud types with vector, red flag and control

Week 5

Explain digital lending, account aggregator framework, open banking and API banking in plain language
Describe how data consent, purpose limitation and data localisation apply to digital financial products
Compare digital-only banks, payment banks and small finance banks on licensing and permitted activities
Write short notes on digital financial inclusion, UPI in rural areas and the role of business correspondents

A 600-word written note on open banking and consent architecture with at least five exam-relevant facts

Week 6

Build a 60-question mock set spanning payments, regulation, security and products, and complete it under timed conditions
Analyse the mock by topic, tagging each wrong answer as knowledge gap, misread or guess
Re-study the two weakest topics using primary sources and rewrite their definitions from memory
Recite the key numeric facts: transaction limits, settlement cycles, cooling periods and complaint timelines

A scored mock report with topic-wise accuracy and a prioritised list of the three weakest areas

Week 7

Revise the full syllabus using active recall, covering each topic from memory before checking notes
Complete a second timed mock and compare topic accuracy against week 6
Close every remaining knowledge gap on the priority list and re-test those items
Draft one-page summaries of payments rails, regulation and security for final revision

Three one-page revision summaries plus a week-6 versus week-7 accuracy comparison table

Week 8

Complete two full-length timed mocks and review each fully on the same day
Drill only the recurring error patterns and confirm they no longer repeat
Rehearse the revision summaries daily until each can be reproduced from memory in under 10 minutes
Finalise exam-day logistics including time allocation per question section and a last-week study checklist

A final readiness sheet showing mock scores, resolved error patterns and a go or no-go self-assessment

Week 2: You can explain the UPI, IMPS, NEFT and RTGS flows from memory, with settlement timing and participants, without notes

Week 4: You score at least 60 percent on an untimed 30-question mixed set on payments, regulation and security

Week 6: You score at least 65 percent on a timed 60-question mock and have a written list of your three weakest topics

Week 8: You score at least 75 percent on two consecutive full-length timed mocks with no repeated error pattern