Four persons privy to the discussions told Business Standard that the deal is close to finalisation, and that regulator Forward Markets Commission (FMC) had been kept in the loop. Indiabulls holds 40 per cent stake in the exchange, which started operations less than a year ago.
Says banks strong enough to tackle the problem on their own
Various options, including expanding the scope of some of the existing tools, were being considered to provide a financial safety net.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has urged Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee to allow the Securities and Insurance Laws (Amendment and Validation) Ordinance 2010 to lapse, since it could affect the autonomy of all regulators, including the central bank.
Ravi Kapoor, head of global banking at Citi India tells that the success of the Centre's divestment programme hinges on attractive valuations
A senior government official said the issue had come up during the foreign secretary-level talks earlier this week and Pakistan expressed its willingness to re-engage in the discussion.
Manmohan Singh also says there are greater risks of deflation, than inflation.
Government officials said the system proposed by the finance ministry, which would be akin to the mechanism followed for auction of investment rights in bonds, would result in Mint Road losing control over overseas fund raising by companies and that was RBI's major concern.
Rohit Chatterji, the new managing director and head of investment banking at J P Morgan, is cautious about the European crisis turning from a liquidity issue to a solvency crisis.
Growth is coming from sectors which are interest rate-sensitive, says D Subbarao.
For developers who came out of a prolonged slowdown of 2008-09, the fund raising spree could be dangerous, say consultants.
The country's largest insurer had been keen to run a bank for a long time to manage the large premium collection and claim settlement work.
The process has been suspended for the time being as Agriculture, Food & Consumer Affairs Minister Sharad Pawar, a political heavyweight, is opposed to any intrusion into his turf.
The high level coordination committee on financial markets, which consists of financial sector regulators, is likely to opt for a phased reduction in the commission paid to insurance agents.
With the Reserve Bank of India allowing retired teachers, kirana shop owners and public call office (PCO) operators to be hired as business correspondents, banks are set to hire over 200,000 people over the next few years to push financial inclusion initiatives.
Vedika Bhandarkar, managing director & head of investment banking, recounts how even in a supposedly bad year, the bank raised about Rs 1,00,000 crore (Rs 1,000 billion).
RBI Governor D Subbarao explains the rationale for the moves announced in the second quarter review of the monetary policy in an interview with Sidhartha. Excerpts:
According to sources close to the development, finance secretary Ashok Chawla, who is driving the process, is working on a concept note to provide the framework for consolidation.
The Securities and Exchange Board of India is now planning to enable investors to buy and sell mutual fund units through stock exchanges. Fund houses will also be allowed to sell new fund offers (NFOs) through exchanges, helping them to save on distribution costs.
This is in addition to the $3 billion (around Rs 15,000 crore) infrastructure fund being set up in association with the Macquarie group and International Finance Corporation. Though SBI would be a late entrant to the private equity space, Bhatt was confident that it would not be a deterrent.