Raghu Mohan, Abhijit Lele

Stories by Raghu Mohan, Abhijit Lele

Rs 2,000 crore loans to Go First are now NPA: Central Bank of India

Rs 2,000 crore loans to Go First are now NPA: Central Bank of India

Rediff.com   23 Oct 2023

Central Bank of India classified its loans to Go First as non-performing assets (NPAs) in the July-September quarter (second quarter, or Q2) of 2023-24 (FY24). The no-frills carrier has been under insolvency proceedings since May 2023 and ceased operating flights on May 3 this year. The public sector lender's exposure, including government-guaranteed emergency credit to the ailing airline, amounts to about Rs 2,000 crore.

Fintech Lenders Gave Rs 29,875 Crore

Fintech Lenders Gave Rs 29,875 Crore

Rediff.com   23 Oct 2023

'The last year's growth is a foretaste of things to come in the retail credit market.'

'We want to be No. 1 in affordable housing by FY26'

'We want to be No. 1 in affordable housing by FY26'

Rediff.com   11 Oct 2023

'This segment has performed very well for us and this is reflected in our bounce rate which is about three to four per cent.'

Lenders unlikely to clear Anil Agarwal's Vedanta spinoff in hurry

Lenders unlikely to clear Anil Agarwal's Vedanta spinoff in hurry

Rediff.com   11 Oct 2023

Indian lenders are unlikely to clear the vertical split of BSE-listed Vedanta Ltd in a hurry, considering that the demerger would reduce the fungibility of cash flows across businesses and increase their volatility, according to analysts. The demerger plan, which would result in six separate listed entities, would require approval from shareholders, lenders and other statutory bodies. "We believe that a separate listing of different businesses would reduce the fungibility of cash flows across businesses and increase the volatility of cash flows.

'Our Aim Is Housing Finance's Siginficant Role In Economic Growth'

'Our Aim Is Housing Finance's Siginficant Role In Economic Growth'

Rediff.com   1 Oct 2023

'We are working with a few housing finance companies to drive affordable lending because that's where we believe our sweet spot is.'

Has India's 'Bad Bank' Worked Or Not?

Has India's 'Bad Bank' Worked Or Not?

Rediff.com   26 Sep 2023

The target was for banks to sell Rs 2 trillion worth of non-performing assets to NARCL, the so-called 'bad bank, by 2021-2022. Only 10 per cent of this has been executed.

Savings declined but resulted in rise in assets: SBI chief economist

Savings declined but resulted in rise in assets: SBI chief economist

Rediff.com   22 Sep 2023

The net financial savings of the household sector has moderated to 5.1% of GDP in FY23 from 7.6 per cent in FY20, as households shifted their savings to physical assets amid low interest rates during the pandemic, according to State Bank of India's (SBI) Research report.

'ESG means doing business the right way'

'ESG means doing business the right way'

Rediff.com   22 Sep 2023

'ESG is actually a concept which cannot be applied effectively in the very short run.'

Equity FDI inflows nearly halve on global overhang

Equity FDI inflows nearly halve on global overhang

Rediff.com   20 Sep 2023

Showing the effect of the slowdown in global economic activity, the equity foreign direct investment (FDI) into India declined sharply to $13.9 billion in April-July 2023 from $22.04 billion a year ago. The net FDI, inflows minus outflows, declined from $17.28 billion in April-July 2022 to $5.70 billion in April-July 2023 on account of moderating gross FDI and a rise in repatriation. Gross FDI into India moderated to $22.0 billion during April-July 2023 from $29.6 billion a year ago, according to Reserve Bank of India data.

25-bp deposit rate hike likely this festival season

25-bp deposit rate hike likely this festival season

Rediff.com   20 Sep 2023

The Reserve Bank of India's (RBI's) decision to withdraw the incremental cash reserve ratio (I-CRR) is expected to benefit banks during the festival season. They are likely to increase deposit rates by up to 25 basis points (bps) in select maturity buckets. The rise in demand for funds to cover tax payments and meet quarter-end business targets could influence rate decisions by banks, according to bankers and money market executives.

India's outward FDI down 33.3% in August on grim global prospects

India's outward FDI down 33.3% in August on grim global prospects

Rediff.com   15 Sep 2023

Reflecting subdued global economic growth, India's outward foreign direct investment (FDI) fell by 33.3 per cent sequentially to $1.21 billion in August, compared to over $1.82 billion in July.

Bajaj Finance's B2B segment to add 1,000 cities in the next three years

Bajaj Finance's B2B segment to add 1,000 cities in the next three years

Rediff.com   11 Sep 2023

As a step to entrench its consumer finance business, Bajaj Finance (BFL) plans to scale up its business-to-business (B2B) activity, both in terms of volume as well as value. It plans to add up to 1,000 cities in the next three years and this will mark its presence in around 5,000 cities. The expansion activity will be more in Northern and Eastern India.

Lenders expect robust retail credit in festive season

Lenders expect robust retail credit in festive season

Rediff.com   2 Sep 2023

Lenders in India, comprising banks and finance companies, anticipate robust growth in retail credit during the upcoming festival season, stretching from September to December 2023. This expectation is based on resilient demand, government initiatives, and elections in key states.

India's outward FDI rises to $1.85 bn in July 2023

India's outward FDI rises to $1.85 bn in July 2023

Rediff.com   30 Aug 2023

Interrupting a two-month streak of decline, outward foreign direct investment (FDI) rose sequentially to $1.85 billion in July over $1.07 billion in June, an increase of 73 per cent. However, it was lower than the $2.18 billion in July last year, according to the Reserve Bank of India data. Outbound FDI, expressed as financial commitment, has three components - equity, loans, and guarantees.

Net FDI into India declines sharply to $5 billion in Q1

Net FDI into India declines sharply to $5 billion in Q1

Rediff.com   19 Aug 2023

The sectors that received most of the investment during this period included manufacturing, financial services, business services, computer services, electricity, and other energy sectors.

Flows into NRI deposits grow multi-fold to $2.14 billion in first quarter

Flows into NRI deposits grow multi-fold to $2.14 billion in first quarter

Rediff.com   18 Aug 2023

The flow of money into Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) deposits witnessed a substantial increase, touching $2.14 billion in the first quarter of this financial year (Q1FY24), compared with $349 million in the same period in FY23. The outstanding NRI deposits rose by $2.5 billion, standing at $141.28 billion at the end of June 2023, up from $138.77 billion in May 2023, according to Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data. RBI released the updated data in the bulletin after almost three months.

Indian per capita income to grow sevenfold by FY47, says SBI Research

Indian per capita income to grow sevenfold by FY47, says SBI Research

Rediff.com   16 Aug 2023

The per capita income of Indians as gleaned from income-tax filing is expected to increase from Rs 2 lakh in FY23 to Rs 14.9 lakh in FY47, coinciding with 100 years of the country's Independence, according to SBI Research. In dollar terms it will increase from about $2,500 in FY23 to $12,400 in FY47. Soumya Kanti Ghosh, group chief economic adviser, State Bank of India, said the weighted mean income was Rs 4.4 lakh in AY14. That rose to Rs 13 lakh in FY23.

Debt Collection Goes Digital

Debt Collection Goes Digital

Rediff.com   10 Aug 2023

Companies don't have to be in the field to nudge people to return money they owe lenders.

India's outward FDI down 50% in H1 2023 on grim global growth prospects

India's outward FDI down 50% in H1 2023 on grim global growth prospects

Rediff.com   24 Jul 2023

India's outward Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) nosedived to $11.12 billion in January-June (H1 2023) from $23.57 billion in the same period last year, indicative of the slowdown in the global economy, according to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data. The outward FDI expressed as the total financial commitment, has three components, namely equity, loan and guarantees. The sharp contraction in the commitments (outward FDI) was prominent in the April-June 2023 period.

Outward remittances surge to $2.9 billion in May

Outward remittances surge to $2.9 billion in May

Rediff.com   18 Jul 2023

Outward remittances under the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) liberalised remittance scheme (LRS) rose in May 2023 to $2.88 billion as compared to $2.33 billion in April, mainly due to an uptick in travel spend. People in India spent close to $1.5 billion on international travel in May, against $1.10 billion in April.