BANKS

Post-merger, HDFC Bank will become twice the size of ICICI Bank

HDFC Bank will become twice the size of ICICI Bank after it absorbs HDFC Ltd with itself, global rating agency S&P said.

HDFC-HDFC Bank merger to create a behemoth

HDFC Ltd, India’s largest housing finance company, is merging with HDFC Bank, the country’s largest private sector bank by assets, to create a behemoth.

HDFC-HDFC Bank merger as regulatory arbitrage of NBFC dwindles

Key reason for deciding to merge HDFC Ltd with HDFC Bank now is reduced regulatory gap between NBFC and a bank; other reasons include large balance sheet.

 

Axis Bank CEO calls Citibank consumer biz buyout a ‘lifetime deal’

Axis Bank will acquire Citibank’s India consumer business for $1.6 bn, giving it access to 2.5 mn premium customer cards, a consumer lending portfolio of Rs 18,500 cr and a lucrative wealth management biz.

Three worries for rupee as Ukraine war deepens

Rise in oil prices, dollar shortage and weak equity markets will put further pressure on rupee as it sinks to all-time low. Will RBI with high forex reserves be able to shield currency from deep fall?

SBI to buy out partner Canara Bank’s stake in Russia, consolidate global biz

State Bank of India is buying out Canara Bank’s stake in the joint venture company in Russia and shutting its representative office in Paris as part of the strategy to rationalise its international business.  

Loans against shares, bonds and FDs surge amid Covid stress

Advances pledged against shares and bonds up 24.4% over previous year, RBI data shows; loans against fixed deposits up 17%.

Recapitalisation of banks needed as Basel IV date nears

Government may need to revisit its decision to reduce budget for capitalisation of banks due to demands of Basel IV norms.

India’s banking sector health at its best in decades: Ind-Ra

Revising outlook on banking sector from ‘stable’ to ‘improving’ for FY23, India Ratings said it expects credit growth to pick up 10% and gross NPAs staying at 6.1% during the year.

SBI rules out effort to delay action against ABG Shipyard

Ruling out any effort to delay the process at any point of time, SBI said the Rs 22,842-crore of loans to ABG Shipyard is undergoing liquidation under NCLT after lenders had discovered fund diversion following forensic audit by E&Y. 

RBI’s three bets as interest rates remain unchanged

RBI has left interest rates untouched for tenth time in a row; takes 3 bets including crude prices, US yield and the government borrowing programme 

Net profit on track amid higher recoveries and lower NPAs, says PNB chief

Punjab National Bank said it is on track to achieve net profit of  Rs 4,000 crore in FY22; credit growth to be higher, recoveries at Rs 5,000 cr and net NPA to fall below 4.5%, says Mallikarjuna.

Govt approves PMC Bank’s merger with Unity SFB

Amalgamation comes into effect from 25 Jan and all branches of PMC Bank shall operate as branches of Unity Small Finance Bank from this date; depositors above Rs 5 lakh to be paid periodically over 10 years.

Bank of Maharashtra plans capital raise, Q3 net doubles

Bank of Maharashtra is planning to raise Rs 500-750 crore through a QIP in February, CEO AS Rajeev said, while announcing the state-owned bank’s record quarterly profit.

How SBI is keeping check on retail loan NPAs

State Bank of India has made 5 lakh outbound calls a month from its three recovery centres to remind customers to repay their retail loans on time. Other early detection methods are also used.