Raghu Mohan, Ishita Ayan Dutt And Abhijit Lele

Stories by Raghu Mohan, Ishita Ayan Dutt And Abhijit Lele

How to get more bang for the buck out of field agents

How to get more bang for the buck out of field agents

Rediff.com   23 Jan 2025

Will allowing business correspondents to hawk insurance products help in reviving 5-lakh strong field agents as a viable channel?

Rupee Slide: Tough Times For Overseas Corporate Debt

Rupee Slide: Tough Times For Overseas Corporate Debt

Rediff.com   16 Jan 2025

Raising overseas debt has become prohibitively expensive due to the depreciating rupee.

Broad-based corporate capex recovery unlikely in FY26: India Ratings

Broad-based corporate capex recovery unlikely in FY26: India Ratings

Rediff.com   10 Jan 2025

India Ratings on Thursday said that any broad-based or strong recovery in corporate capital expenditure was unlikely in the upcoming financial year 2026 (FY26) due to uncertainty of domestic and external demand. The uncertainty is adversely affecting the overall corporate sector capex. Interest rates on credit are not the primary deterrent to decisions about capital expenditure, said Soumyajit Niyogi, director, core analytical group, Ind-Ra, in a webinar on the credit market outlook.

ATMs to loans: All eyes on the road for finance world

ATMs to loans: All eyes on the road for finance world

Rediff.com   6 Jan 2025

In the Union Budget for Financial Year 2023-24 (FY24), Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had held forth on the need for better governance and investor protection in the banking sector. She had proposed certain amendments to the Reserve Bank of India Act (RBI Act), 1934; the Banking Regulation Act (BR Act), 1949; and the Banking Companies (Acquisition and Transfer of Undertakings) Act, 1970.

What Are New RBI Governor's Challenges?

What Are New RBI Governor's Challenges?

Rediff.com   10 Dec 2024

'Challenge is basically near-term growth as the outlook has turned a bit adverse.'

'Har Ghar Lakhpati': SBI's new mantra for deposit accretion

'Har Ghar Lakhpati': SBI's new mantra for deposit accretion

Rediff.com   9 Dec 2024

At a time when banks are finding it challenging to mobilise resources, State Bank of India (SBI)-the country's largest lender-has devised a three-pronged strategy to boost deposit accretion. First is an aspirational product that promises to make depositors lakhpatis by helping them grow their deposits to Rs 1 lakh through recurring deposit (RD) schemes.

'Urban demand is under stress, would need an upward spiral'

'Urban demand is under stress, would need an upward spiral'

Rediff.com   5 Dec 2024

'Spending by the middle class is limited with a focus on savings. However, there is buoyancy at the top-end.'

How Bank of India Plans To Counter Deposit Woes

How Bank of India Plans To Counter Deposit Woes

Rediff.com   28 Nov 2024

A grooming branch network for servicing HNIs is a stepping stone for a full-fledged wealth management business.

'Uncertainty related to inflation has not gone'

'Uncertainty related to inflation has not gone'

Rediff.com   22 Nov 2024

'In addition, we have geopolitics and politics and all the other things that will affect commodity prices.'

'Lending rate cut still some time away'

'Lending rate cut still some time away'

Rediff.com   20 Nov 2024

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's call for making lending rates affordable may not resonate anytime soon as banks still struggle with margin compression, and await clues from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on liquidity and rate action. Hinting that any lending rate cut was some time away, State Bank of India (SBI) managing director Vinay M Tonse said there was still some aggression in the market regarding deposit pricing.

India Inc sends mixed signals on H2FY25 capex path

India Inc sends mixed signals on H2FY25 capex path

Rediff.com   16 Nov 2024

After subdued earnings in the first half amid global headwinds, India Inc is taking a cautious approach on their capital expenditure (capex) for the second half of the financial year ending March 2025, according to management commentary. Minutes from the October monetary policy meeting show the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI's) optimism about private investments picking up.

Tata Steel to file curative petition

Tata Steel to file curative petition

Rediff.com   11 Nov 2024

Tata Steel is in the process of filing a curative petition in the Supreme Court in connection with the apex court ruling which said that states have the power to levy cess on mining and mineral-use activities. The petition by the steel manufacturing firm is aimed at seeking remedy to the order, passed by a 9-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court on July 25. However, Tata Steel's managing director and chief executive officer T V Narendran told Business Standard that there was no demand note on the firm.

What Does RBI Want To Discuss With Private Banks?

What Does RBI Want To Discuss With Private Banks?

Rediff.com   4 Nov 2024

Senior bankers anticipate discussions on issues related to technology, cyber security, and customer protection.

Private banks leading AI adoption in banking services, says RBI study

Private banks leading AI adoption in banking services, says RBI study

Rediff.com   22 Oct 2024

Private sector banks in India are taking the lead in the adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in areas like fraud detection, customer segmentation, and chat automation, according to a Reserve Bank of India (RBI) study. The asset size and capital adequacy ratio are influencing the rate of adoption.

India Inc Biggies Plan To Invest $800 Bn

India Inc Biggies Plan To Invest $800 Bn

Rediff.com   15 Oct 2024

Roughly 40% of this projected outlay is expected to go towards emerging industries, including green hydrogen, clean energy, semiconductors, and electric vehicles.

Trade on road to recovery but Indian firms tread cautiously

Trade on road to recovery but Indian firms tread cautiously

Rediff.com   12 Oct 2024

Truck movements across the India-Bangladesh border are on the rise, with increasing rentals signalling a trade recovery between the two South Asian nations. Yet, geopolitical tension looms large, with Bangladesh now under an interim government for nearly two months.

Will Anna's Death Be A Wake-Up Call For India Inc?

Will Anna's Death Be A Wake-Up Call For India Inc?

Rediff.com   8 Oct 2024

'In India, managers and the leadership almost glorify overworking.'

Emami has built itself through acquisition, but...

Emami has built itself through acquisition, but...

Rediff.com   8 Oct 2024

Two young men jostle in a rickshaw as it clatters along a narrow, bustling lane of North Kolkata, each with a leg dangling over the side of the vehicle, a bulging sack of cosmetics nestled between them. The protagonists here are the founders of Emami - Radhe Shyam Agarwal and Radhe Shyam Goenka - childhood friends who gave up cushy corporate jobs to build a fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) company. From a 200-square-foot rented space on Muktaram Babu Street in North Kolkata, brand Emami stepped into the competitive world of FMCG 50 years back, armed with just three products: Vanishing cream, talcum powder, and cold cream.

RBI seeks details of select NBFCs' loan book growth

RBI seeks details of select NBFCs' loan book growth

Rediff.com   25 Sep 2024

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has sought granular data from select non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) on their loan book growth. The details sought are on the outstanding product-wise portfolio and the annualised interest charged on them. The annualised interest slabs mentioned are as follows: less than 10 per cent, 10-20 per cent, 20-30 per cent, 30-40 per cent, 40-50 per cent, and above 50 per cent.

Doctors Strike Opens Fissures In Bengal

Doctors Strike Opens Fissures In Bengal

Rediff.com   24 Sep 2024

'The Bengali middle class, who never fully embraced Mamata Banerjee's policies, are now expressing their deep-seated frustration by spilling out on to the streets.'