Shrimi Choudhary And Abhijit Lele

Stories by Shrimi Choudhary And Abhijit Lele

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.

Procedural delays likely in IDBI Bank stake sale; bids expected in Q3

Procedural delays likely in IDBI Bank stake sale; bids expected in Q3

Rediff.com   16 Aug 2023

The strategic sale of government and state-owned Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India stakes in IDBI Bank might encounter procedural delays, potentially pushing the timeline for expected financial bids to the third quarter of the current financial year (2023-24, or FY24), according to sources familiar with the development. Financial bids constitute the second significant step in the divestment process, following expressions of interest (EoIs) from potential bidders. In this phase, bidders are required to quote transactional fee as a percentage of the divestment proceeds, which are then added to the government's kitty after completion of the transaction.

Banks get 8 months to effect TCS on international credit card spend

Banks get 8 months to effect TCS on international credit card spend

Rediff.com   31 Jul 2023

The central government has given banks and credit card entities six to eight months to put in place the requisite reporting mechanism and related features to collect tax at source on international credit card transactions, a senior bureaucrat told Business Standard. According to the bureaucrat, the plan to bring overseas credit cards under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS) has not been mothballed and is simply being deferred so that banks get adequate time to get the system up and running. The official expects the reporting mechanism to be ready in the given time, and the rule could be implemented in the next financial year (2024-25, or FY25).

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.

Net profit of listed commercial banks seen growing 44% in Q1 FY24

Net profit of listed commercial banks seen growing 44% in Q1 FY24

Rediff.com   14 Jul 2023

Benefiting from higher credit off-take and loan repricing, listed commercial banks are expected to post 43.9 per cent year-on-year (YoY) growth in their net profit in the quarter ended June 30 (Q1FY24), analysts have said. Controlled credit costs due to a healthy asset quality profile and a steady treasury book will also support a strong bottom line for the lenders in the first quarter. However, net profit may shrink sequentially, according to analysts' estimates for 13 banks sourced from Bloomberg data.

HDFC Bank-HDFC's combined loan book up 13.1%; deposits up 16.2% in Q1

HDFC Bank-HDFC's combined loan book up 13.1%; deposits up 16.2% in Q1

Rediff.com   6 Jul 2023

The merged entity's deposits grew by 16.2 per cent YoY at Rs 20.63 trillion at the end of the first quarter. Sequentially, the merged entity's advances rose by about 0.7 per cent to Rs 22.30 trillion as of March 31, 2023. However, the pace of deposit mobilisation was higher at 1.2 per cent over Rs 20.39 trillion as of March 31, 2023.

RBI asks card issuers to explore more networks, increase customer choices

RBI asks card issuers to explore more networks, increase customer choices

Rediff.com   6 Jul 2023

To provide more choices to customers, the Reserve Bank of India has suggested mandating bank and non-bank card issuers to issue debt, credit and prepaid cards on more than one network. Customers can choose any one either at the time of issue of the card or anytime later, according to draft norms released by the Reserve Bank of India on Wednesday. The RBI said card issuers would also be barred from signing agreements that limit their ability to tie-up with other card-networks, according to the draft.

Banks post robust credit growth in Q1; deposit mobilisation improves

Banks post robust credit growth in Q1; deposit mobilisation improves

Rediff.com   4 Jul 2023

Reflecting strong momentum in business, commercial banks, including one public sector lender, reported a year-on-year (YoY) growth in advances. This was higher than or around the banking sector trend in the first quarter ended June 2023. Bank of Maharashtra said its loans expanded by 25 per cent YoY to Rs 1.75 trillion. This pace was much higher than the banking system's 15.4 per cent growth till June 16, 2023, according to Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data.

Tax norms for charitable trusts get stricter

Tax norms for charitable trusts get stricter

Rediff.com   4 Jul 2023

The income-tax (I-T) authorities have tightened disclosure norms for charitable trusts. They now have to declare the nature of their activities from October 1 for tax purposes. The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has notified changes in reporting rules where the charitable institutions have to mention whether the activities undertaken are charitable, religious, or both to claim tax benefits.

Pace of lending to infrastructure sector tumbles sharply to 1.8% in May

Pace of lending to infrastructure sector tumbles sharply to 1.8% in May

Rediff.com   3 Jul 2023

The pace of lending to the infrastructure sector, including power and roads, fell sharply to 1.8 per cent year-on-year (YoY) in May, 2023 compared to 9.8 per cent in May, 2022. Within the segment, the growth in loans to the power sector was at 0.3 per cent YoY in May 2023, down from 9.3 per cent in May 2022. The RBI data showed that outstanding credit to power sector stood at Rs 6.17 trillion in May.

Insurance companies likely to soon face GST audits

Insurance companies likely to soon face GST audits

Rediff.com   30 Jun 2023

Insurance companies may soon face goods and services tax (GST) audits as tax authorities plan a "deep dive" into their business practices to check for the possibility of a raft of tax-linked irregularities. Several insurance companies are being probed for wrongly availing of the input tax credit without the underlying supply of goods and services based on fake invoices generated by their channel partners and intermediaries. "We want to deep dive into the overall business and see if there are further taxation issues besides commissions, which are already being investigated," a senior official of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs said.

GST Council likely to approve tribunal blueprint this month

GST Council likely to approve tribunal blueprint this month

Rediff.com   12 Jun 2023

The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council, which is likely to meet in the third or fourth week of June, is set to clear the operational framework of the much-awaited GST appellate tribunal, which will deal with tax disputes and streamline resolution. "The final blueprint, mainly the operational part, is expected to be presented in the GST Council meeting for approval. "This will pave the way for the tribunal to be functional, both at the central and state levels," said a senior government official, who expects the tribunal to be up and running by November.

TDS rules: Online gaming bonus, incentives taxable if withdrawn, says CBDT

TDS rules: Online gaming bonus, incentives taxable if withdrawn, says CBDT

Rediff.com   24 May 2023

The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) on Monday clarified that any deposit in the form of bonus or incentives credited in a user account will be considered net winnings, and subject to tax deduction, in case of withdrawal. If these are used only for playing, then it's not liable for tax deducted at source (TDS). Further, in case net winnings do not exceed Rs 100 a month, the applicable tax need not be deducted.

Bank of Baroda makes Rs 500 crore provision for Go First exposure

Bank of Baroda makes Rs 500 crore provision for Go First exposure

Rediff.com   17 May 2023

Bank of Baroda (BoB) has made prudential provision of Rs 500 crore for exposure to Go First, which has sought bankruptcy protection after the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) admitted its plea for voluntary insolvency. Sanjiv Chadha, managing director and chief executive officer of BoB, said the bank identifies issues in advance and makes provisions if required. The Mumbai-based public sector lender has an exposure of Rs 1,300 crore to the troubled airline.

Q4 results: Private sector banks post 9.7% decline in net profit

Q4 results: Private sector banks post 9.7% decline in net profit

Rediff.com   10 May 2023

Private sector banks reported a robust profile with healthy growth in net interest income (NII), credit offtake and reduction in provision burden for the fourth quarter ended March 2023 (Q4 of FY23). However, as a pack, their net profit declined by 9.7 per cent year-on-year (YoY) at Rs 25,317 crore in Q4. This is because Axis Bank posted losses due to its one-time hefty charge for the acquisition of Citibank India's consumer business.

Adani Saga: Sebi Seeks Overseas Info On FPIs

Adani Saga: Sebi Seeks Overseas Info On FPIs

Rediff.com   10 May 2023

Sebi is learnt to have written to several regulators including those in Bermuda, Luxembourg, and Switzerland, seeking detailed information on some FPIs.

CA, CS handling client money in PMLA ambit; FinMin notifies rules

CA, CS handling client money in PMLA ambit; FinMin notifies rules

Rediff.com   5 May 2023

To further tighten its control of practising accountants, the Centre has brought within the ambit of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) their "financial transactions" such as operating and managing their client firms and trusts, and buying and selling business entities. The Union finance ministry issued a gazette notification on this on Wednesday. Under the new rule, chartered accountants, company secretaries, and cost and works accountants carrying out such transactions (on behalf of their clients) will now be required to go through the Know Your Company (KYC) process before commencing work.