Raghavendra Kamath &Amp; Abhijit Lele

Stories by Raghavendra Kamath &Amp; Abhijit Lele

Foreign travel top reason why India's overseas remittances doubled

Foreign travel top reason why India's overseas remittances doubled

Rediff.com   18 Jun 2022

Spending on international travel tripled in April 2022 as Covid-related curbs were eased in various countries in FY22.

Taken An SBI Loan, But Not Repaid It?

Taken An SBI Loan, But Not Repaid It?

Rediff.com   6 Jun 2022

There are loans to salaried people where the borrower is employed, but has failed to make repayment. Such loans would be identified and sold in a pool to ARCs.

Flow of money into NRI deposits moderates to $3.23 bn in FY22

Flow of money into NRI deposits moderates to $3.23 bn in FY22

Rediff.com   26 May 2022

Flow of money into non-resident Indian (NRI) deposits moderated sharply to $3.23 billion in April 2021-March 2022 from $7.36 billion in the same period of the previous year. Outstanding deposits have also gone down to $139.02 billion at the end of March 2022. This compares to $141.89 billion a year ago, according to Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data.

Why Are Real Estate Prices Zooming Up?

Why Are Real Estate Prices Zooming Up?

Rediff.com   26 May 2022

'After Covid, people started looking for bigger houses with pools and landscaped gardens.' 'Even middle class buyers are looking at plots of land in smaller towns.'

RBI Ban Will Hike Housing Prices

RBI Ban Will Hike Housing Prices

Rediff.com   16 May 2022

A 5% increase is expected due to additional interest on approval costs.

Russia-Ukraine war may expose 42% India firms to significant risks: Moody's

Russia-Ukraine war may expose 42% India firms to significant risks: Moody's

Rediff.com   26 Apr 2022

Global rating agency Moody's on Monday said the high commodity prices and supply chain disruptions due to further escalation in the Russia-Ukraine crisis could expose about 42 per cent of rated Indian companies to significant risks. They are mainly in the oil and gas and automotive sectors. The impact may be seen under two scenarios: first, revised base line and second being downside economic scenarios incorporating a global recession and a more severe liquidity squeeze, it said. The military conflict between Russia and Ukraine is impacting companies in Asia Pacific, adding to existing challenges from supply chain disruption and the coronavirus pandemic.

Indian lenders worried over Future group's diminishing asset base

Indian lenders worried over Future group's diminishing asset base

Rediff.com   26 Apr 2022

The Indian lenders are worried over the fast depleting asset base of the Future group companies which would make their recovery of dues difficult. The asset base of Future group has eroded in the last two years due to lockdown and takeover of 947 stores by rival Reliance Retail after Future group's lease on the properties expired. Bankers said they have approached bankruptcy court so as to avoid any duplication of legal action and reduce time at the legal forums.

Kamathipura: From shanty locality to prized real estate

Kamathipura: From shanty locality to prized real estate

Rediff.com   17 Apr 2022

After years of living with his family in a poky 110 sq. ft. 'house', textile worker Sambhaji Surve dreams of moving into a home four times the size once the Maharashtra government starts its ambitious redevelopment of the 39-acre Kamathipura shanty town in south-central Mumbai. Sharing his dream are about 8,000 other families hoping for a better life when the redevelopment project, part of the government's effort to redevelop old settlements and make life more livable for some residents, gets underway. The Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party aims to redevelop BDD Chawl and Dharavi but for Surve all the matters is Kamathipura where he arrived in the 1970s from Nasik to work in a textile mill. Kamathipura was originally built 150 years ago following construction of a causeway to connect the seven islands of Mumbai. From the British Raj to post-independence, it became infamous for slums and brothels.

Two years on, is Yes Bank finally out of the woods?

Two years on, is Yes Bank finally out of the woods?

Rediff.com   5 Apr 2022

Transiting from "survival mode", which took most of the management time in FY21, the bank has been able to take a long-term view in terms of growth and preparing technology in the past 12 months.

Is the worst over for Indian banks?

Is the worst over for Indian banks?

Rediff.com   24 Mar 2022

Is the worst over for Indian banks? The past two years saw them ride on treasury trades as deposits soared and credit growth dipped sharply. Gross and net non-performing assets (NPAs) moved south, and the provision coverage ratio (PCR), capital buffers, and profitability indicators are back at pre-pandemic levels. So, what's the plot ahead?

SBI plans to position YONO as complete digital bank

SBI plans to position YONO as complete digital bank

Rediff.com   11 Mar 2022

The country's largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) will revamp its banking application (app) YONO and position it as a complete digital bank (DB) under a new rubric 'Only YONO' for enhancing customer experience and ease of use. The bank plans to bring in a consultant to help draw up the project plan, keeping in mind business goals for the next five years. With 54 million monthly active users (MAUs), SBI YONO has seen growth of over 35 per cent in MAUs in 2021.

Indian firms put dollar bond plans on hold

Indian firms put dollar bond plans on hold

Rediff.com   8 Mar 2022

With the international markets facing uncertainty after Russia invaded Ukraine and Western nations retaliated with sanctions, Indian companies are putting their international fundraising plans on hold as they wait for the markets to recover. Bankers said apart from the geopolitical crisis, international rates are hardening in anticipation of interest rate hikes by the US Federal Reserve to control rising prices in the US. The Ukraine situation has implications for the market. In such a situation, international investors try to shift to safe haven assets by exiting from emerging markets.

Zombie firms spoiling India's economic recovery: RBI study

Zombie firms spoiling India's economic recovery: RBI study

Rediff.com   17 Feb 2022

Zombies a.k.a perpetually loss-making firms in India seem to have dampened the effectiveness of monetary policy at the margin as they use borrowed resources more for their survival than for undertaking new investment, according to a RBI study. The monetary policy does not hinder the creative destruction process by misallocating credit flows to zombies during periods of economic slowdown, showed a study by officers of Reserve Bank of India. It has been published in RBI's bulletin for February 2022. In India, zombie firms are estimated to account for about 10 per cent of total debt of the non-financial corporate sector.

Banks' bottom line improves as bad loans continue to fall

Banks' bottom line improves as bad loans continue to fall

Rediff.com   16 Feb 2022

Commercial banks in the country continued with their improving asset quality trend in the October-December 2021 quarter with slippages remaining under control coupled with healthy recoveries and upgradation of asset classification. The 28-listed banks reported improvement in bottom line with net profits rising 64.1 per cent year-on-year (YoY) and 21.5 per cent sequentially. This is mostly on account of a fall in provisions and contingencies.

PSBs up loan growth target as corporate demand revives

PSBs up loan growth target as corporate demand revives

Rediff.com   14 Feb 2022

This is following revival of demand from the corporate sector and small and medium enterprises (SMEs), even as a nascent economic recovery is taking shape. Credit growth of scheduled commercial banks had accelerated to 9.2 per cent year-on-year (YoY) by the end of December 2021 after breaching the 7 per cent-mark in November, for the first time since April 2020.

Indian firms, banks cautious as Sri Lanka battles financial crisis

Indian firms, banks cautious as Sri Lanka battles financial crisis

Rediff.com   21 Jan 2022

Banks and companies in India are taking a cautious approach towards Sri Lanka, which, reeling from a financial crisis, has sought a $1-billion loan from the country to import essential commodities. A senior State Bank of India (SBI) executive said the bank was committed (to Sri Lanka) for the long term. "As far as exposures (are concerned), the bank will be cautious on its dollar exposure to Sri Lankan entities till the situation improves," he said.

RBI may not tinker with rates in FY22

RBI may not tinker with rates in FY22

Rediff.com   6 Jan 2022

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will stay away from changing key rates - including the reverse repo rate - this fiscal in the backdrop of Omicron. However, it will continue to shape the rate movements through liquidity market operations. Soumya Kanti Ghosh, group chief economic advisor, State Bank of India, said whether Omicron surge or not, there is not going to be any hike this year. However, the central bank may continue to shape rates through market operations.

Asset quality of NBFCs worsens in H1 amid pandemic

Asset quality of NBFCs worsens in H1 amid pandemic

Rediff.com   29 Dec 2021

The asset quality of non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) deteriorated in April-September 2021 (H1FY22) owing to the second wave of the pandemic. Their gross non-performing assets (NPAs) rose to 6.8 per cent in September 2021 from 6 per cent in March 2021. The Reserve Bank of India's (RBI's) annual Trend and Progress report (FY21) said the sector might have to grapple with higher delinquencies as and when policy measures unwound. The pandemic posed significant challenges to NBFCs during the first wave (2020) also.

Property registration in Mumbai hits 10-year high

Property registration in Mumbai hits 10-year high

Rediff.com   28 Dec 2021

Property registrations in Mumbai hit the 100,000-mark till November, marking a 10-year high as "demand enablers" like low prices and cheaper interest rates lure people to buy homes in India's financial capital. The previous 10-year high was 80,746 units in 2018. November 2021 recorded property sale registrations of 7,582 units: an 18 per-cent decline compared to same month last year (YoY) when stamp duty rate was at its lowest level of two per cent, said property consultant Knight Frank India, quoting data from the Maharashtra government's Department of Registrations and Stamps. Compared to October or a month-on-month (MoM) basis, registrations are lower by 12 per cent.

RBL's chief tries to allay concerns on bank's health

RBL's chief tries to allay concerns on bank's health

Rediff.com   27 Dec 2021

RBL Bank's interim chief executive officer (CEO) and managing director (MD) Rajeev Ahuja on Sunday tried to allay concerns around the health of the bank. He said events during the weekend are not linked to RBL's asset quality. The bank said Vishwavir Ahuja, its managing director (MD) and chief executive officer (CEO), had on Saturday proceeded on leave with immediate effect on medical grounds.