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Financial Services Secretary M Nagaraju on Saturday cautioned banks to bolster their defences against the growing menace of cyber threats. Speaking at a prize distribution ceremony of the 'Code Against Malware' hackathon at PNB headquarters here, Nagaruaju highlighted the growing importance of cybersecurity in the banking sector. Such initiatives align with the national goal of building resilience against emerging digital threats, he said. Launched in December 2024, the 'Code Against Malware' hackathon invited student teams from IIT Kanpur and other premier institutions to develop endpoint security solutions to detect ransomware, using behavioural analysis, artificial intelligence, and heuristic techniques. The hackathon was conducted in collaboration with the IIT Kanpur, under the guidance of the Department of Financial Services (DFS) and the Indian Banks' Association (IBA), with the objective of fostering innovation in cybersecurity and engaging India's young technical talent. P
State-owned Central Bank of India on Saturday posted a 33 per cent growth in net profit at Rs 1,169 crore during the first quarter of this financial year, aided by improvement in core income and decline in bad debts. The Mumbai-based bank had earned a net profit of Rs 880 crore in the same quarter of the previous fiscal year. The total income rose to Rs 10,374 crore during the June quarter of 2025-26, from Rs 9,500 crore in the same quarter of FY25, Central Bank of India said in a regulatory filing. Interest earned by the bank improved to Rs 8,589 crore, as compared to Rs 8,335 crore in the June quarter FY25. During the period under review, operating profit of the bank increased to Rs 2,304 crore, as compared to Rs 1,933 crore in the same quarter a year ago. The bank's asset quality showed improvement as gross non-performing assets (NPAs) declined to 3.13 per cent of gross advances at the end of the June quarter, from 4.54 per cent a year ago. Gross advance increased by 9.97 per
The finance ministry has asked public sector banks (PSBs) to look at monetising their investment in subsidiaries by listing them at bourses after further scaling up operations so that they realise good return. There are about 15 subsidiaries or joint ventures of PSBs lined up for initial public offering or divestment in medium to long term, sources said. Wherever required banks should invest funds to scale up operations of their subsidiaries or joint ventures, sources said, adding, banks can look at unlocking value at an opportune time. As a precursor to monetisation, sources said, banks should improve governance, professional decision-making and bring in greater operational efficiency in their subsidiaries. For example, the country's biggest lender State Bank of India may look at listing SBI General Insurance and SBI Payment Services in the future after they scale up their operations. SBI General Insurance Company Ltd, incorporated on February 24, 2009, earned a profit of Rs 509