Indian billionaire Shiv Nadar's foray into the insurance sector is likely to fructify soon. DLF Pramerica Life, seeking an Indian partner for its operation, is in talks with Nadar's HCL Group to sell a majority stake. According to those in the know, both parties are back on the table to iron out the nitty-gritty, after the deal got stuck a year back due to stringent guidelines.
According to sources, the central bank is keen on such a scheme to attract foreign exchange, as the country's reserves have seen a depletion in the wake of a weakening domestic currency.
Facing huge redemption pressure on funds raised via foreign currency convertible bonds (FCCBs), India Inc has requested the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to allow companies to offer higher interest rates on fresh foreign currency loans or bonds, the proceeds of which will be used to pre-pay existing FCCBs.
The appetite for Indian assets is growing among investors from the land of the samurai. An appreciating yen, combined with slow economic growth, has persuaded many Japanese investors to explore opportunities beyond their national boundary, and India appears to be one of their preferences.
ICICI works on similar lines; alternative to Business Correspondents to reach financial inclusion targets.
Donald D'Souza, the new head of HDFC Bank's equity capital markets business, prefers to keep himself fit by playing badminton.
The lender's comfortable liquidity position, combined with downward bias in interest rates and slow credit growth expectations in the first three months of this financial year, has allowed it to take this decision.
The deal is stuck because the Reserve Bank of India has declined to transfer the branch licences of RBS to HSBC.
The life insurance arm of the country's largest private-sector lender does it not to expand workforce, but to maintain its strength, as almost a similar number of staffers keeps leaving every month.
Ministry says capital infusion if loans extended only to productive sectors
For instance, a pack of 20 Classic branded cigarettes (from ITC) now costs Rs 120.
In absolute terms, close to 9.2 million customers (almost equal to Mumbai's suburban population) have defaulted on loan repayment. Microfinance institutions currently have around 32 million clients in the country.
High crude oil prices, which the central bank perceives as a risk to inflation, may limit the extent of rate cut to 25 basis points rather than 50 bps, economists said.
SBI keeps IDBI waiting for proposal to set up infra development fund
In January, banks had rejected SBI Caps' initial proposal on Air India's debt recast, which suggested converting a part of the carrier's debt into cumulative redeemable preference shares, with an eight per cent dividend.
UB Group Chairman Vijay Mallya has turned down suggestions from banks that he should give a personal guarantee as a precondition for additional funding to the cash-strapped Kingfisher Airlines.
Before joining IndusInd Bank, he was the regional head of RBS' corporate solutions business in Asia Pacific region and was based in Singapore.
The government must guarantee the entire loan and the interest rate, so that there is no additional provisioning requirement.
Kotak Mahindra Bank has acquired the non-performing portfolio of Barclays Bank's credit card business in India. The deal, experts said, gives momentum to the sale of stressed loan market in the country which has been having a dry run following stringent regulatory norms introduced in 2007.
Air India's debt recast plan has hit a deadlock with both the national carrier and banks continuing to stick to their stand even as the regulator has disapproved providing dispensation, thus only compounding the problem.
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