State Bank of India in UK set for major restructuring

In a strategic shift, the State Bank of India (SBI) will undertake a major restructuring of its business in the UK from April and ensure greater protection for depositors, India's largest state-owned bank has said.

SBI's UK operations will transform into a subsidiary named State Bank of India UK Limited from April 1, in compliance with wider ring-fencing of capital requirements by the Bank of England.

The move will mean that all retail branches of SBI in the UK will fall under a new UK-incorporated banking entity instead of their previous status as overseas branches of the Indian entity.

"While there will be no visible change, the brand changes to State Bank of India UK Limited. The 12 retail branches that we have - seven in London and the rest outside London - will become branches of SBI UK Ltd. Apart from that, if we look at the day to day, there will be no dislocation," said Sanjiv Chadha, SBI's Regional Head for UK.

He explains that while customers would be able to carry on using their debit cards and other banking facilities as before, the move marks a strategic shift for the bank with a greater focus on the UK market.

"We will be looking to doing more business in the UK, expanding the products that are designed for the UK market," he said.

SBI operates seven branches in London and five each in Manchester, Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Leicester and Coventry - all cities with a large concentration of Indian diaspora population.

The move follows Bank of England's Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) directing foreign banks a few years ago to move from their retail status as overseas branches to independent entities in order to protect depositors in the UK from fluctuations in foreign markets.

"As a subsidiary, the capital will be ring-fenced and that brings an additional comfort level," said Chadha.

He highlighted that the restructuring marked a major endorsement for London as a financial capital of the world, despite uncertainties triggered by the 2016 referendum in favour of an exit from the European Union (EU).

There are uncertainties over the passporting rights of the UK-based Banks which can at present sell services throughout the 28-member bloc.

If the UK and the EU fail to strike a deal on the issue, the UK-based banks could lose their passporting rights post-Brexit.