Insurance coverage for deposits in non-banking finance companies is unlikely to be provided as Reserve Bank of India has expressed reservations over the move.
Bandhan Bank has declared disappointing results for the first quarter of the 2023-24 financial year (Q1FY24). While the market has been braced for known issues around microfinance exposures in West Bengal and Assam, there is higher stress in the portfolio. This means higher credit costs and poorer asset quality, leading to target downgrades by analysts.
The annual earnings of a non-executive chairman of a PSB is capped at Rs 10 lakh, inclusive of fees for attending board meetings. This is way below the compensation of the chairman of any private bank, reveals Tamal Bandyopadhyay.
We must stop stigmatising business failures. Particularly when startups are mushrooming all around, the financial system, backed by the RBI and the government, can explore ways of extending support to restart the journey of a failed entrepreneur by finance as well as counselling, recommends Tamal Bandyopadhyay.
The stressed asset business will be a mix of an ARC and a distressed asset fund. Ambit has already started insurance brokerage and equity research and sales businesses this year. It closed a $100-million private equity fund called Ambit Pragma Ventures recently. It is also keen on starting proprietary trading.
'Given the emerging trends, it may be time for India to embrace digital banking,' notes Pradipta Bagchi.
'The banking sector appears to be on course to recovery,' declares the RBI governor.
Commemorating 75 years of India's independence, SBI has launched a 75-day Utsav Deposit Scheme, offering 6.10 per cent for fixed deposits. Senior citizens will get an additional 0.50 per cent and the offer is on until October 30, SBI said.
Food and grocery retailer Subhiksha has taken the acquisition route to list its shares on the stock exchanges. The company wants to avoid an initial public offer in view of the turbulence in the capital market.
Financial services firm Religare Enterprises on Wednesday said it will acquire a part of Citigroup India's home loan portfolio for Rs 500 crore (Rs 5 billion), representing 5 per cent of the latter's total mortgage book.
As their non-performing assets have risen sharply even as loans have remained stagnant, RBI steps in with stringent loan-management measures.
The move comes against the backdrop of rising instances of people getting duped by illicit money pooling activities
After investing $150 million this year, HSBC is willing to step up investments in India as it expects the economy to sustain over 7 per cent growth in the coming years.
The Indian financial system's asset quality improved despite the pandemic, but it could be due to special dispensations by the regulator, and banks would likely see increased stress on their books once the schemes expire. According to the annual trend and progress report of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released on Tuesday, the data available for this financial year so far indicate that banks' bad debts have moderated while provision coverage ratios (PCRs), capital buffers as well as profitability indicators have improved relative to pre-pandemic levels.
The Reserve Bank of India said on Monday it will lower the maximum rate that non-banking finance companies can offer on retail deposits by 150 basis points to 11 per cent just days after it cut key rates.\n\n\n\n
Scheduled commercial banks have written off loans amounting to over Rs 10.09 lakh crore in the last five financial years and the process of recovery of dues from the borrowers continues, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman informed the Lok Sabha on Monday.
One man's passion about an environment friendly mode of transport has got the humble bicycle competing with the automobiles.
Former CAG Rajiv Mehrishi says Centre has held back a report he submitted to the President, to end what he called "a nightmare of accounts that militates against good governance".
Days after Citi's global CEO Vikram Pandit said the group planned to reduce head-count by 52,000, there are reports that the financial major will lay off over 1,000 employees in India. The financial services company has around 10,000 employees in India.
The rupee breached the 80-mark against the dollar on Tuesday. The steady depreciation in the value of the rupee against the US dollar is likely to prove expensive for corporate India. The listed companies' revenue expenses in foreign currency or imports exceed their export revenues or revenue earnings in forex. In their latest financial year, BSE500 companies, excluding banks and non-banking finance companies and insurance (BFSI), reported combined forex expenses of Rs 12.31 trillion against forex earnings of around Rs 10 trillion.
The Indian regulatory framework forced Citi to hibernate -- contrary to the claim that it never sleeps!
Red Fort Capital, an international real estate fund founded by GB Singh, Parry Singh and Subhash Bedi, has invested nearly Rs 2,000 crore (Rs 20 billion) in the Indian real estate sector and claims that it is one of the few funds to have invested even in the downturn.
Benchmark equity indices Sensex and Nifty slumped over 1 per cent on Friday, tracking a weak trend in global markets and fresh foreign fund outflows. Falling for the third day running, the 30-share BSE Sensex tumbled 1,017.23 points or 1.24 per cent to settle at 81,183.93.
The difference between what the banks play in the US and India is not that of soccer and football but rugby and football. SVB also has a unique character. But when risks are mispriced, the fallout could be very similar, points out Tamal Bandyopadhyay.
Public sector banks' cumulative profit crossed the Rs 1 lakh crore-mark in the financial year ended March 2023, with market leader State Bank of India (SBI) accounting for nearly half of the total earnings. From posting a total net loss of Rs 85,390 crore in 2017-18, the Public Sector Banks (PSBs) have come a long way as their profit touched Rs 1,04,649 crore in 2022-23, according to an analysis of their financial results. These 12 PSBs witnessed 57 per cent increase in total profit compared to Rs 66,539.98 crore earned in 2021-22.
'Some of the astounding proposals, if translated into statutory provisions, would be suicidal.' 'This would not be a wonder cure for increasing insurance penetration and only result in mushrooming growth of players like paan kiosks with deleterious consequences.'
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday said the Union Budget strikes a fine balance between growth, employment, and fiscal consolidation, and promotes cooperative federalism. Replying to the discussion on the Union Budget 2024-25 and Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir Budget in Rajya Sabha, the minister said the government is on track to achieve the pre-announced fiscal deficit target of 4.5 per cent by 2025-26. Sitharaman, also a former defence minister, said the Agniveer Scheme to recruit people in the age group of 17.5 to 21 years, is aimed at keeping the armed forces fit, young and battle-ready.
'There will be 200 ITIs developed as hubs, while 800 will be developed as spoke, connected with five National Skill Training Institutes.'
CitiFinancial, Citibank India's non-banking finance arm, has reduced its asset book by one-third and its branch network by a quarter of the year-ago level as part of a restructuring exercise, Citi CEO for South Asia Mark T Robinson told Business Standard.
When he didn't respond (Mr Saver has lost count of how many relationship managers he has had in the past few years!), the gentleman landed up at his doorstep and started pleading with him to open fixed deposits with the bank, observes Tamal Bandyopadhyay.
The latest roadmap for exempts banking, insurance and non-banking finance companies
President Droupadi Murmu, in her address to the nation on Republic Day, advocated for the "One Nation One Election" initiative, emphasizing its potential to enhance governance and reduce financial burdens. She highlighted the government's efforts to eliminate remnants of colonialism, citing the replacement of British-era criminal laws with modern alternatives. Murmu also lauded India's economic progress, stressing the importance of inclusive growth and social welfare. She urged citizens to remember the sacrifices of freedom fighters and reaffirmed the significance of the Constitution in guiding India's journey towards a prosperous and equitable future.
This is a good opportunity for long-term investors to pick quality small and midcap stocks at reasonable valuations.
The companies will pick up 20 per cent each in PTC Financial Services, a non-banking finance company (NBFC). The total investments could be Rs 50-60 crore (Rs 500-600 million), including a premium of Rs 3-5 on a face value of Rs 10 a share, according to company executives.
The government plans to bring down its stake to 26 per cent in these two banks, which are yet to be identified. This may not come in the way of getting investors for these banks, provided the government is willing to step back rather than run them the way it had been doing for over five decades since these banks were nationalised, points out Tamal Bandyopadhyay.
The government has cleared 12 foreign direct investment (FDI) proposals that will bring in Rs 212 crore (Rs 2.12 billion), of which the largest chunk will be by US-based Millennium India Acquisition Company. Meanwhile, 13 proposals, including two from B A G Films, were deferred by the government, according to an official statement. The US-based company will bring in Rs 159.92 crore (Rs 1.59 billion) of FDI to acquire stakes in two non-banking finance companies.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, along with her team of bureaucrats, delved into the fine print of the 2024-25 Budget documents in a press conference, detailing the government's road map on bringing down the debt-to-GDP ratio and bold tax measures.
State Bank of India, NTPC, Nestle, Sun Pharma, JSW Steel, ITC, Mahindra & Mahindra and HCL Technologies were among the other major gainers.
