Berliner Tageblatt - AU Small Finance Bank Secures Naming Rights for Mumbai Metro 3 Station

AU Small Finance Bank (AU SFB) has secured exclusive naming and branding rights for the Bandra Colony Metro Station on Mumbai Metro 3’s Aqua Line, the bank announced on Thursday. The three-year agreement, arranged through Times Innovative Media Limited (TIML), renames the station ‘AU Bank Bandra Colony’ and places the bank’s branding across key commuter touchpoints including entry and exit signage, digital displays, ticketing areas, AFC gates, escalators, platform screen doors, and in-train route maps.

The station’s location in Bandra East, near the Bandra Kurla Complex, holds strategic significance for AU SFB. The bank’s upcoming Head Office will adjoin the station, creating a direct link between its corporate base and one of Mumbai’s primary business districts. This proximity allows the bank to capitalize on the corridor's high visibility.

Mumbai Metro 3’s Aqua Line, which runs between Aarey JVLR and Cuffe Parade, recorded over 7 crore passenger journeys in its first full year of operations, according to data from the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC). The substantial footfall provides AU SFB with sustained exposure along a route that connects major commercial, financial, and residential zones.

In addition to brand visibility, the bank has incorporated product communication into the branding strategy. Personal loan and credit card creatives featuring QR codes and digital calls to action are positioned at select passenger touchpoints. This marketing push coincides with AU SFB’s broader expansion efforts; the bank currently operates 54 physical touchpoints across Mumbai and has received in-principle approval from the Reserve Bank of India to transition into a Universal Bank.

J.Bergmann--BTB