Foreign banks' India footprint shrinks as domestic competition hots up

Loan book and branch network stand reduced as parents go slow on India

Foreign banks are increasingly shrinking their presence in India and are also becoming more conservative than private and public sector counterparts. 

While many of them have sold some of their businesses in India as part of their global strategy, some are trying to keep their core expertise intact. Others are branching out to newer areas to continue business momentum. 

For example, Barclays Bank in India has got out of the retail business, whereas corporate-focused Standard Chartered Bank is now trying to increase its focus on retail. 

“Building a retail franchise is a huge exercise and takes a long time. You