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Bankers' Books Evidence Act, 2026 which got assent of the President of India last month, and is aimed at providing a modern framework for the use of banking records as evidence in line with contemporary banking practices, will come into force from October 1. The notification dated September 10 appoints October 1, 2026 as the date on which provisions of the Act will come into force, the finance ministry said in a statement on Friday. The Act adopts a technology-neutral approach by recognising banking records maintained in physical, electronic, digital, virtual, cloud-based and other contemporary forms, it said. It also provides for simplified and standardised certification of banking records, including through manual, digital or electronic signatures. Greater clarity has also been provided on the summoning of bank officials where the bank is not a party to the proceedings, with a "special cause" to be recorded in writing by the court for such summoning, it said. Further, the Centre
India should make efforts to consolidate banks in such a manner that a few big banks of equal size would be created, without compromising market competition in the industry, the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) said in a working paper. The paper titled 'Reforms, Efficiency, and Productivity of Indian Banking Sector in the Last Decade : A DEA Approach' further said this will help support the growing credit need of the economy as India strives to be Viksit Bharat by 2047. "Though the concentration in the Indian banking industry is low, the market share of the banks varies significantly, starting from 20 per cent to below 1 per cent. "In this context, India should make efforts to consolidate the banks in such a manner that a few big banks of equal size would be created, without compromising market competition in the industry," the EAC-PM said. The paper noted that the bank consolidation was intended to create institutions with stronger capital bases, wider ...
Department of Financial Services DFS Secretary Sanjay Lohiya on Tuesday urged Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) to sustain good financial performance and further strengthen credit flow to the last mile. The net profit of RRBs increased to an all-time high of Rs 10,176 crore in 2025-26 against Rs 6,820 crore in FY25, a jump of 49 per cent. Both gross non-performing assets (GNPA) and net non-performing assets have reached all-time lows of 5.3 per cent and 2.1 per cent, respectively, the finance ministry said in a statement. Reviewing the financial performance here, Lohiya appreciated the commendable performance of all RRBs during 2025-26. At present, 28 RRBs are operating through 22,273 branches across 26 states and 3 Union Territories, covering about 700 districts. The total business of all 28 RRBs has crossed Rs 13.5 lakh crore, surpassing the business level of a few individual public sector banks (PSBs) in FY26. RRBs also continue to achieve all targets and sub-targets prescribed unde
State Bank of India's total business could potentially double to around Rs 200 lakh crore by 2030, when the bank celebrates its platinum jubilee, given the current growth trajectory, Chairman C S Setty said. SBI came into existence on July 1, 1955 through an Act of Parliament, which, among other things, provided for the transfer of the undertaking of the Imperial Bank of India. The country's biggest lender crossed the landmark of Rs 100 lakh crore total business, which is an aggregate of total loans and advances in the second quarter of the last financial year. This further increased to Rs 110.01 lakh crore at the end of June 2026. Whether the bank had set a specific target for its platinum jubilee year, Setty said there was no formal milestone, but the bank's growth trajectory could take its total business to Rs 170-180 lakh crore and potentially as high as Rs 200 lakh crore by 2030. "We don't have any milestone, but if you take the current growth rate, I think we should be around
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday asked public sector banks to keep pace with youth's expectations of simple, intuitive, personalised and round-the-clock banking. Speaking at the PSB Confluence here, she asked public sector banks to launch a month-long 'Banking for Youth' campaign commencing October 2, 2026, with particular outreach to citizens above 16 years of age. The minister said banks should take the campaign directly to youth rather than wait for them to come to branches. Colleges, universities, skill-building institutions and other campuses can become important touchpoints for the campaign through account-opening initiatives, financial awareness and direct interaction, she added. Each of the 12 PSBs should develop its own strategy to attract and engage youth, based on its product offering, regional presence and institutional strengths, she said, adding the larger objective should be to build a long-term banking relationship from "campus to career and beyond", ..