Shares of ICICI Bank, Axis Bank and HDFC Bank on Friday tumbled as much as 4.5 per cent in morning trade following accusations that the lenders have indulged in money laundering.
Latest figures for HDFC Bank aren't available.
Awaiting regulatory approvals for its foray into financial services sector, Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries has acquired shares in giants like HDFC, ICICI Bank and Axis Bank as part of long-term 'investments'.
Among Sensex firms, Bharti Airtel, HCL Tech, UltraTech Cement, Power Grid, HDFC Bank, Bajaj Finance, Tata Steel and ICICI Bank were among the major gainers. However, Axis Bank, Tata Motors, Trent and Infosys were among the laggards.
Eternal was the biggest gainer in the Sensex pack, jumping 4.50 per cent, followed by Power Grid, ICICI Bank, Reliance Industries, UltraTech Cement, Adani Ports, Sun Pharma, ITC and Hindustan Unilever were also among the winners. In contrast, IndusInd Bank, Axis Bank, Bajaj Finserv and Bajaj Finance were among the laggards.
The RBI said it had not found initial evidence of money laundering against the three banks.
The Reserve Bank of India is widely expected to reduce the repo rate for the first time in nine months when it announces its third quarter policy review.
Axis Bank has strengthened its positioning -- on both the assets and liability side -- and it may be set to deliver sustained improvement in performance. The valuation gap between Axis Bank (which trades at 1.4x core book value (or BV) and peers like ICICI Bank (valued at 2x BV) is expected to narrow.
However, Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys, Tech Mahindra, UltraTech Cement, IndusInd Bank, Hindustan Unilever and ICICI Bank were the gainers.
Indian markets on Dalal Street rallied sharply as easing tensions in the US-Iran conflict and stable oil prices boosted sentiment. Track Nifty 50 and BSE Sensex performance and key global triggers.
From the 30 Sensex pack, ICICI Bank climbed 3 per cent after the private sector lender posted a 14.5 per cent growth in standalone profit to Rs 11,746 crore for the second quarter ended September 2024. JSW Steel, Mahindra & Mahindra, Adani Ports, Tata Steel, Sun Pharma, Hindustan Unilever, Tata Motors and State Bank of India were the other big gainers from the pack.
Probes come after independent journalist accuses ICICI, HDFC, Axis Bank and cites video recordings collected by him as evidence.
The government said action would be taken against ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank and Axis Bank on the basis of an RBI audit report which has detected certain "aberrations", a month after the private banks were accused of money laundering by an online news portal.
From the Sensex basket, Power Grid, IndusInd Bank, Tata Motors, JSW Steel, NTPC, HCL Technologies, Tata Steel, ICICI Bank, Mahindra & Mahindra, Axis Bank, HDFC Bank and Reliance Industries were among the major laggards. Among the gainers, Hindustan Unilever climbed over 5 per cent. Tech Mahindra, Nestle, ITC, Wipro, Tata Consultancy Services and Kotak Mahindra Bank were the other major gainers.
Equity benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty rebounded sharply by nearly 1 per cent on Monday, driven by strong buying in power, banking, and financial stocks.
ICICI Bank share price hits record high, ICICI Bank m-cap tops $100 billion: Shares of ICICI Bank have been on a steady uptrend, rising 30 per cent over the past one year; not far behind Axis Bank stock that surged over 34 per cent during the period. The BSE Sensex, meanwhile, is up 25 per cent, and the BSE BANKEX 22 per cent in the last one year, ACE Equity data shows. On Wednesday, June 26, ICICI Bank shares hit a fresh record high for the third consecutive day, rising 2 per cent on the BSE in the intraday trade.
HDFC Bank on Tuesday said RBI has given approval to the group to acquire up to 9.5 per cent stake each in six lenders, including ICICI Bank and Axis Bank.
Tax sleuths have detected over Rs 52 crore of unexplained cash in jewellers' bank accounts
It recorded total income of Rs 54,606 crore (Rs 546.06 billion) and net profit of Rs 9,810 crore (Rs 98.10 billion) on stand-alone basis.
Among the 30 Sensex companies, JSW Steel, Tata Steel, Axis Bank, Reliance Industries, ICICI Bank, Hindustan Unilever, Kotak Mahindra Bank and Asian Paints were among the biggest gainers. In contrast, Mahindra & Mahindra, Sun Pharma, NTPC, Wipro, State Bank of India and Power Grid were among the laggards.
From the Sensex pack, Asian Paints, UltraTech Cement, Power Grid, ICICI Bank, Reliance Industries, Hindustan Unilever, Bharat Electronics and Sun Pharma were among the major gainers. In contrast, Trent, Eternal, Axis Bank and Titan were among the laggards.
Axis Bank's acquisition of Citibank's consumer finance business for Rs 12,325 crore - the second biggest deal in the Indian banking sector - is seen as a good deal at a good price. The acquisition enables Axis Bank to close the gap with competition in some key segments such as credit cards. At the same time, there are some key issues that are crucial for the deal's success, apart from the fact that it will take some time for Axis to reap the full harvest of its investment.
What is the reason behind this drying up of talent for the top post in private banks?
IndusInd Bank, ITC, HDFC Bank, Tata Steel, HDFC, ICICI Bank and Reliance Industries are also among top gainers. SE Nifty jumped 52.35 points to finish at 11,322.50.
Christopher Wood, global head of equity strategy at Jefferies has rejigged his equity portfolios. In his Asia ex-Japan long-only portfolio, he has added Axis Bank (5 per cent weightage) and increased holding in Larsen & Toubro (L&T) by one percentage point. This, Wood said, will be paid for by removing the investment in ICICI Lombard General Insurance and reducing the investments in HDFC Bank and Reliance Industries (RIL) by one percentage point each.
Sharma would be 60 in November 2018, and would have completed 10 years as Axis Bank's CEO the following year in June.
Indian benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty experienced a decline due to renewed geopolitical concerns in the Strait of Hormuz, a strained US-Iran ceasefire, and the rupee hitting a record low against the US dollar.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has sent showcause notices to ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank and Axis Bank, the three private lenders named in the first of three Cobrapost 'sting' cases.
Indian equity benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty rallied in early trade, driven by reports of a second round of talks between the US and Iran, which are fostering hopes for a resolution to the West Asia conflict, coupled with Brent crude oil prices trading below the USD 100 per barrel mark.
Private sector lender Axis Bank on Monday said its board has recommended the appointment of Shikha Sharma, currently chief of ICICI group's life insurance business, as its next managing director and CEO.
Indian bank credit expanded by 16.08 per cent year-on-year in FY26, marking its fastest pace since FY24, while deposits grew by 13.47 per cent, according to RBI data. Experts caution that year-end figures may be inflated due to reporting date changes, but acknowledge strong momentum in corporate, MSME, and retail segments.
Indian stock markets extended their gains for a third consecutive day, with the Sensex climbing 753 points and the Nifty closing above 24,550, driven by a drop in crude oil prices and optimism surrounding potential peace talks between Iran and the US.
Banks and NBFCs are launching festival offers, including lower loan rates, cashback, EMI schemes and GST-linked benefits to tap rising demand ahead of Diwali
Banking operations at public sector banks across the country were impacted on Tuesday as the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) went on nationwide strike demanding the immediate implementation of a five-day work week.
Reliance Industries was the biggest gainer in the Sensex pack, rising 2.69 per cent, followed by HCL Tech, ICICI Bank, Tata Motors, Wipro, IndusInd Bank, JSW Steel, Wipro, Tata Consultancy Services and Titan. In contrast, NTPC, Power Grid, UltraTech Cement, Axis Bank, Infosys and Nestle were the major laggards.
Indian benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty experienced volatility due to conflicting developments in West Asia, including reports of the Strait of Hormuz closure, which led to a rebound in crude oil prices and heightened investor concerns about supply disruptions and inflation.
Executive Director V Vaidyanathan will assume the position of managing director and chief executive officer of the bank's life insurance arm, ICICI Prudential. This slot had fallen vacant as Shikha Sharma decided to move to Axis Bank.
Sectoral funds, focused exclusively on public sector banks (PSBs), have delivered the strongest returns among domestic mutual fund (MF) categories over the past six months. However, active banking funds have significantly lagged because of their heavy tilt towards private lenders.
India's private-sector banks are likely to lose market share for a second consecutive year in 2025-26, as their loan books continue to expand much slower than overall bank credit.
Former ICICI Bank veteran Shikha Sharma will take home a hefty pay packet as Axis Bank managing director and CEO that will be in excess of Rs 2 crore (Rs 20 million) a year, if one counts allowances and other perquisites.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances