Manojit Saha &Amp;Amp; Aathira Varier

Stories by Manojit Saha &Amp;Amp; Aathira Varier

'Ambition to double the business within three years'

'Ambition to double the business within three years'

Rediff.com   24 Feb 2025

'The way the bank is doing in the past 4-5 quarters, no reason to see why we will not be able to achieve that.'

'How Will I Survive Without My Monthly Withdrawals?'

'How Will I Survive Without My Monthly Withdrawals?'

Rediff.com   24 Feb 2025

'I don't know when I will be able to access those funds.'

MPC minutes: Repo rate was cut as inflation aligned with target, says Guv

MPC minutes: Repo rate was cut as inflation aligned with target, says Guv

Rediff.com   22 Feb 2025

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Sanjay Malhotra said the repo rate cut in the February meeting of the monetary policy committee (MPC) was due to inflation aligning with the target and recognising the fact that monetary policy is forward-looking.

'Goal for Axis Max Life Insurance is to become listed entity'

'Goal for Axis Max Life Insurance is to become listed entity'

Rediff.com   17 Feb 2025

'However, this process will take some time. Depending on the approval timeline, it may span a few quarters.'

Budget And ULIPs: Should You Invest?

Budget And ULIPs: Should You Invest?

Rediff.com   3 Feb 2025

'The incentives to switch to the new tax regime... are viewed as a negative due to potential loss of customers who buy policies for saving tax.' 'The tax-saving value proposition for the sector reduces.'

'Post acquisition funding cost will come down'

'Post acquisition funding cost will come down'

Rediff.com   29 Jan 2025

'Earlier, our cost of funds was higher than most in the peer group.'

Private sector banks' credit costs up in Q3FY25 on higher provisions

Private sector banks' credit costs up in Q3FY25 on higher provisions

Rediff.com   27 Jan 2025

Private sector banks that announced their earnings for the October-December quarter (Q3) of 2024-25 (FY25) reported a rise in credit costs due to higher provisions, mainly for unsecured retail loans.

Is foreign exchange rate stability desirable? Not really

Is foreign exchange rate stability desirable? Not really

Rediff.com   21 Jan 2025

The recent depreciation of the rupee along with sharp fall in the country's foreign exchange (FX) reserves has sparked a debate whether stability of the exchange rate is necessary and desirable. The rupee was one of the least volatile currencies among peers for almost two years before the current downward pressure started in September after the US Federal Reserve lowered interest rate.

Why Is RBI Gov Meeting Top Bankers?

Why Is RBI Gov Meeting Top Bankers?

Rediff.com   13 Jan 2025

'Growth, liquidity and deposit mobilisation are likely to be discussed during the interaction.'

Life insurance Dec new biz premium falls 21.7% to Rs 30,218.71 crore

Life insurance Dec new biz premium falls 21.7% to Rs 30,218.71 crore

Rediff.com   12 Jan 2025

The new business premium (NBP) of life insurance companies dropped 21.7 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) to Rs 30,218.71 crore in December 2024 on the back of a steep fall in business. According to data published by the Life Insurance Council, LIC's premium dropped 41.15 per cent Y-o-Y to Rs 13,523.87 crore while private insurers reported 7 per cent growth in NBP to Rs 16,694.85 crore as the industry absorbs the impact of the revised surrender value norms.

Insurers to double down on tech, rural expansion for growth in '25

Insurers to double down on tech, rural expansion for growth in '25

Rediff.com   10 Jan 2025

The Indian insurance industry is set to focus on customer-centric technological adoption and expansion into rural areas to drive growth in 2025.

Draft DPDP rules: Task cut out for banks as operational challenges loom

Draft DPDP rules: Task cut out for banks as operational challenges loom

Rediff.com   9 Jan 2025

The draft digital personal data protection (DPDP) rules, which require banks to obtain explicit consent from their customers before using their data for purposes beyond the original intent, although is being followed in spirit, leaves no room for regulatory arbitrage, experts said. They said that the potential business impact is difficult to assess at this stage, but the formalisation of these rules will mean banks now need to establish clear data processing agreements with third-party entities to ensure compliance.

Muted deposit and credit growth sends PSB stocks into a tailspin

Muted deposit and credit growth sends PSB stocks into a tailspin

Rediff.com   7 Jan 2025

Shares of state-owned bank stocks were under pressure on Monday due to muted deposit and credit growth numbers reported by these lenders in the October-December quarter (Q3) of 2024-25 (FY25). The Nifty PSU Bank index was down 4 per cent, with Union Bank of India emerging as the biggest loser as its shares fell 7.5 per cent to close at Rs 114.7, followed by a 5.7 per cent drop in shares of Bank of Baroda (BoB) to Rs 228 and a 4.7 per cent slide in shares of Bank of India to Rs 99.8 on the National Stock Exchange.

'We want to grow better than industry, mindful of biz quality'

'We want to grow better than industry, mindful of biz quality'

Rediff.com   3 Jan 2025

'Health and motor insurance will continue to be our two most important segments'

Slowing credit growth, margin pressure await banks in 2025

Slowing credit growth, margin pressure await banks in 2025

Rediff.com   1 Jan 2025

In 2025 banks are in for challenges such as pressure on margins and slowing credit growth. With the likelihood of a repo rate cut in February or April, external benchmark-linked loans of banks will be repriced immediately. However, deposit rates are expected to adjust more gradually, which could impact the net interest margin (NIM) - a key measure of profitability for banks.

Fire, engineering insurance premiums likely to move up by 60% in 2025

Fire, engineering insurance premiums likely to move up by 60% in 2025

Rediff.com   31 Dec 2024

In 2025, Indian firms may face higher premiums for fire and engineering insurance covers as reinsurers are likely to revise rates due to rising claims from catastrophic events and higher loss ratios, according to people in the know.

Banks post sixth year of profit growth in FY24, bad loans decline further

Banks post sixth year of profit growth in FY24, bad loans decline further

Rediff.com   27 Dec 2024

Commercial banks in India reported a sixth consecutive year of rise in their net profits in 2023-24 while bad loans continued to fall, according to the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI's) annual publication "Trends and Progress of Banking in India", released on Thursday. "Banks' profitability rose for the sixth consecutive year in 2023-24 and continued to rise in H1:2024-25 with the return on assets (RoA) at 1.4 per cent and return on equity (RoE) at 14.6 per cent," the report said.

Growth Or Inflation? What Will RBI Gov Tackle?

Growth Or Inflation? What Will RBI Gov Tackle?

Rediff.com   11 Dec 2024

Sanjay Malhotra takes charge as the 26th RBI governor at a time when headline retail inflation has shot up to 6.2%.

'We want to create an all-weather franchise'

'We want to create an all-weather franchise'

Rediff.com   10 Dec 2024

'We have seen something do very well when the times are good but maybe not as well when the times are bad.'

AI tool MuleHunter to tackle financial fraud

AI tool MuleHunter to tackle financial fraud

Rediff.com   9 Dec 2024

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das said on Friday said the central bank has developed an innovative artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) based model MuleHunter.ai to address the growing issue of mule bank accounts that are often used for committing financial fraud. Developed by the Reserve Bank Innovation Hub, the new initiative is piloted with two public sector banks.