An internal working group set up by the RBI has proposed to raise the cap on promoters' stake in private banks from the current 15 per cent to 26 per cent in 15 years. The group has also recommended that large corporate or industrial houses may be allowed as promoters of banks only after amendments to the Banking Regulation Act and strengthening of the supervisory mechanism for conglomerates, including consolidated supervision. The Reserve Bank of India had constituted the internal working group (IWG) on June 12, 2020, to review extant ownership guidelines and corporate structure for Indian private sector banks.
Is a short tenure (3 to 5 years) floating rate car loan a feasible option?
IDBI Bank had to sell its MF arm after being acquired by state-owned insurance behemoth Life Insurance Corporation since LIC already had an AMC.
The idea of back-loading the target of fiscal consolidation is perhaps guided by the government's desire to be prepared for any adverse developments in the coming year, points out A K Bhattacharya.
In yet another move to close the regulatory gap between banks and shadow banks, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has mandated exposure limits to the non-banking finance companies, in line with commercial banks. In the large exposure framework released on Tuesday, the regulator capped aggregrate exposure of NBFCs which are in the upper layer toward one entity at 20 per cent of capital base. The limit can only be extended by another 5% with board's approval. For a particular borrower group, the cap is at 25 per cent, with additional 10 per cent if exposure is towards infrastructure.
Fair trade regulator CCI on Tuesday cleared Bajaj Group's proposed acquisition of a 26 per cent stake each in its insurance joint ventures, Bajaj Allianz General Insurance and Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance, from its partner Allianz SE for a total of Rs 24,180 crore. "The proposed combination involves acquisition of 26 per cent paid-up equity share capital of Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance Company Ltd (BALIC) and Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Company Ltd (BAGIC) by Bajaj Finserv Ltd (BFS), Bajaj Holdings & Investment Ltd (BHIL) and Jamnalal Sons Pvt Ltd (JSPL) from Allianz SE," the regulator said in a release.
Diversified business conglomerate Mahindra and Mahindra (M&M) has picked up a 3.53 per cent stake in private sector lender RBL Bank for Rs. 417 crore. "We may consider further investment, subject to pricing, regulatory approvals, and required procedures. However, in no circumstance will it exceed 9.9 per cent," M&M said in an exchange notification on Wednesday. Shares of RBL Bank jumped 7.1 per cent to settle at Rs. 238.8 apiece on the BSE on Wednesday, close to their 52-week high of Rs. 242.1.
New borrowers should go for banks over housing finance companies as the new benchmark -- MCLR -- is more transparent.
'LAP is suited for borrowers with a steady income, sound repayment discipline, and a clear repayment plan.'
The finance ministry on Thursday sought to clarify that there was no distress in household savings and the data indicated that changing consumer preference for different financial products was the real reason for the change in the pattern of household savings. The clarification comes in the backdrop of Reserve Bank of India data showing that household net financial savings rate is at its lowest in decades, at 5.1 per cent of GDP in FY23 compared to 7.2 per cent of GDP in FY22. The divergence in the data for household gross financial assets and liabilities is not a cause for concern for the government, as the loans have largely been taken to buy real assets or automobiles, the finance ministry said.
This payment of Rs 962 crore is inclusive of the Rs 500 crore DHFL received from exiting its entire stake in subsidiary firm Aadhar Housing Finance Ltd.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday said it will maintain comfortable liquidity conditions and conduct market operations in the form of outright and special open market operations. It will conduct on tap targeted long-term repo operations (TLTRO) with tenors of up to three years for a total amount of up to Rs 1 lakh crore at a floating rate linked to the policy repo rate.
GE Money India is looking for a strategic partner to drive scale just as it did with the State Bank of India (SBI) for its card business. It is trying to replicate its card model in its joint venture with Wizard Home Loans, a non-banking finance company from Australia.
In 2023-2024, 95 scheduled commercial banks received over 10 million complaints from their customers. The process of KYC at many banks has become 'HYC' -- harass your customer, points out Tamal Bandyopadhyay.
Since November 3, the day the central bank's special window was opened, bids worth Rs 2,775 crore (Rs 27.75 billion) were placed at the auctions against the total outstanding amount of Rs 60,000 crore (Rs 600 billion) at the fixed rate of 7.5 per cent. "It's a commercial decision of banks to lend money to NBFCs. It implies that banks are still cautious about lending to NBFCs and they might take some more time to start lending normally to us," said an NBFC chief.
Most NBFCs will have to slow down their loan growth. Some of the most leveraged will have to sell a part of their assets (or loan book) to banks to raise incremental capital. Others may have to knock on the door of their deep-pocketed parents.
As yields on 10-year government bonds rose from 6.65% in April 2017 to around 7.50% now, liquidity pressures have increased the cost of funds for housing finance companies.
The general nervousness because of the IL&FS default will prevail in the system for now.
Housing finance companies step in to provide loan to customers turned away by banks.
The finance ministry also said the maximum funding will be Rs 400 crore for any single project that will be seeking assistance from the 'special window' for completion of the 1,508 projects comprising about 4.58 lakh units.
Liquidity has improved, but 20 out of 24 NBFC stocks are staring at an over 5% reduction in 12-month target prices.
With liquidity crunch hitting operations, many finance companies have put the brakes on sanctions in the third quarter in the aftermath of the IL&FS crisis.
'The people let off by the NBFCs have little bargaining power and willingly settle for a 20% to 25% cut in their existing salaries when hunting for new jobs.'
NBFCs with a proven track record, supported by the brand values of reputed corporate, can play a key role in bringing the benefits of banking and economy to the underserved and newer segments of India.
Nomura analysts said the Reserve Bank of India and the government would need to segregate the potential solvency issue at DHFL from liquidity issues at other larger wholesale NBFCs and HFCs.
Banks are gaining market share at the expense of non-bank lenders such as housing finance companies, retail lenders, and those giving gold loans. There has been a steady decline in the market share of non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) in the credit market as banks have stepped up lending. NBFCs' share declined to a five-year low of 19.8 per cent in the first half of FY23, down from 20.3 per cent in H1FY22, and an all-time high of 23.1 per cent in H1FY19.
But the industry's chief executives remain confident of the long-term growth potential of NBFCs in India, given their specialised lending on the asset side, last-mile reach, and a well-capitalised balance sheet. "Over the years, NBFCs have faced many crises.
Overseas fundraising by Indian firms is experiencing a robust revival in 2024, following a lacklustre 2023. This resurgence is primarily driven by strong demand for high-yield bonds from international investors amid improving liquidity conditions and reduced hedging costs. Indian companies raised ~32,619 crore through overseas bonds in the first half of 2024, surpassing the total amount raised via such instruments in the entire 2023, which stood at ~31,218 crore, according to PRIME Database. In comparison, ~45,237 crore was raised in 2022 and ~1.05 trillion was secured in 2021.
During the fourth quarter (January-March), banks step up the activity to meet annual targets. This leads to a race to raise funds from markets often by jacking up deposit rates. This time around, the market has not seen such trend yet.
SP Group chairman Shapoorji Pallonji Mistry on Friday reiterated calls for public listing of Tata Sons to bring transparency, amid infighting among trustees of Tata Trusts which controls a 66 per cent stake in the holding company of the salt-to-software conglomerate. Shapoorji Pallonji family is the single largest minority shareholder with about 18.37 per cent in Tata Sons.
In the past three years, personal loans have grown at twice the rate of growth in personal disposable income, leading to a steady rise in household indebtedness. At the end of March this year, Indians owed Rs 25.2 lakh crore to banks and listed non-banking finance companies (NBFCs), up 65 per cent in the past three years.
File a written complaint with the bank's grievance redressal officer and secure an acknowledgement.
Indications are that the Tata Sons stand on listing of the company may come up for a discussion even if it's not part of the agenda
Gold prices hit record high in the third week of March as fears of bank collapses and high inflation led investors to the traditional safe haven. Gold prices are often inversely correlated to dollar strength because the international price is dollar-denominated. The Federal Reserve's (Fed's) stance indicates that the dollar may appreciate further since it is prepared to keep pushing up policy rates. But demand for gold is also up - the World Gold Council claims central banks are buying in addition to private demand.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday announced Rs 3 lakh crore collateral free automatic loan for businesses, including MSMEs, to benefit 45 lakh small businesses. Detailing parts of the Rs 20 lakh crore economic stimulus package, she said this loan will have a 4-year tenure and will have 12-month moratorium, she said.
A lot depends on how Srei shapes up under the new administrator and his team, which is critical for investors' interest.
Housing finance company (HFC) PNB Housing is planning to focus on reducing delinquencies in 2023-24.
Billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries Ltd is the most valuable private company in the country, as per Hurun India's 2022 Burgundy Private Hurun India 500 list. The list, which was released on Tuesday, stated that with a value of Rs 16.4 lakh crore, Reliance is India's most valuable company, followed by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) with Rs 11.8 lakh crore and HDFC Bank with Rs 9.4 lakh crore. Reliance is also the highest taxpayer with a payout of Rs 16,297 crore and the most profitable company with a bottomline of Rs 67,845 crore in 2022-23.
Rediff explains why the system, not the Budget, is the problem.
