SBT to raise up to Rs 600 cr ahead of merger with SBI

Bank gets executive committee nod to raise funds, to augment its additional tier-I capital

State Bank of Travancore (SBT) will raise up to Rs 600 crore to shore up additional tier-I capital by issuing Basel compliant bonds on private placement. The development comes ahead of its proposed merger with parent SBI.

The bank got approval of its executive committee on Saturday to raise the money, which will be augment its additional tier-I capital.

"The executive committee of the board of directors of the bank at its meeting held on February 18, 2017 has approved the raising of up to Rs 600 crore by way of issue of Basel-III compliant additional tier-I bonds by private placement," SBT said in a regulatory filing.

On Wednesday, the Union Cabinet cleared the proposal to merge State Bank of India (SBI) with five of its associate banks -- three of which are listed and other two unlisted.

State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur (SBBJ) and State Bank of Mysore (SBM) apart from SBT, are the three listed entities, while State Bank of Patiala and State Bank of Hyderabad are unlisted.

However, there is time for the amalgamation to take shape as the complex merger process entails share swap as well as employee issues, among others.

Banks in India are augmenting their tier-I capital, to gradually align themselves with global Basel-III Capital Regulations to strengthen capital planning by creating buffer against potential stresses on asset quality and consequential impact on performance and profitability.

The standards are being implemented in phases since April 1, 2013 by Indian banks.

India is expected to get fully compliant with Basel-III standards by March 2019. This will align full implementation of Basel-III for Indian banks closer to the internationally agreed date of January 1, 2019.