Harsh Kumar

Budget 2026-27: Govt likely to amend law to speed up debt recovery

The Centre may amend the RDB Act in the FY27 Budget to earmark DRTs for high-value cases, speed up recoveries and reduce pendency clogged by low-ticket litigation

Budget 2026-27: CII wants Centre to fast-track PSE privatisation

Ahead of the Union Budget 2026-27, CII has urged the Centre to adopt a demand-based, three-year privatisation pipeline for public sector enterprises to unlock nearly Rs 10 trillion of value

FinMin to review PSBs' progress on unclaimed deposits on January 14

"The meeting, to be chaired by the Joint Secretary (banking) in DFS, will assess the status of unclaimed deposits transferred to the DEA Fund and the pace of claims settlement across banks

Rate cuts may impact margins by up to 5-10 bps: PNB MD Ashok Chandra

PNB expects to recover over ₹400 crore from MTNL and up to ₹500 crore through NPA sales this quarter, as the bank sharpens its focus on asset recovery and balance-sheet strength

Aim to make Central Bank customer-centric, digitally agile: MD & CEO

Central Bank of India expects to meet SEBI's public shareholding norms well before the August 2026 deadline as it sees strong loan growth across retail, MSME and corporate segments and expands digital

CPSEs' research expenditure increases 25.6% to ₹9,691 crore in FY25

Defence production led R&D expenditure by central public sector enterprises in FY25, followed by petroleum and heavy engineering, as overall spending rose sharply year-on-year

Govt panel reviews foreign banks' plans to open branches in India

Panel chaired by DFS Secretary M Nagaraju reviewed RBI proposals for foreign banks amid a gradual decline in foreign bank presence and India's push for calibrated financial liberalisation

Banks may soon sponsor pension funds as PFRDA approves major NPS reforms

The proposed framework seeks to remove regulatory constraints that had so far limited banks' participation in pension fund management

Finance ministry notifies rules to enable 100% FDI in insurance sector

Revised rules remove the requirement for majority Indian directors in insurers with foreign investment, but mandate that one of the top leadership roles be held by an Indian resident

DFS pushes digitisation, reforms to speed up recoveries through DRTs

The DFS is pushing mandatory e-filing, virtual hearings and legal reforms to improve disposal rates and speed up recoveries through debt recovery tribunals

Housing top reason for partial withdrawals under NPS in FY25: PFRDA

Housing-related needs accounted for the highest number of partial withdrawal requests under the National Pension System in FY25, with Rs 1,327.91 crore withdrawn, PFRDA data show

Govt plans to amend SARFAESI Act to include special situation funds

Centre is considering amending SARFAESI to include special situation funds as financial institutions and to require borrowers to file representations within 30 days of a demand notice, sources said

FinMin colloquium to brainstorm ways to check rising debt recovery cases

DFS will meet DRT and DRAT heads and senior bank executives on December 30 to discuss measures to speed up recoveries as pending cases rose to 0.137 million by September 2025, officials said

PNB reports over ₹2,400 cr loan fraud linked to Srei ex-promoters

State-owned lender said it reported fraud of over Rs 2,000 crore linked to erstwhile promoters of SREI entities and has made provisions for the entire outstanding amount

CSR spending of 183 CPSEs surged 31% to record ₹6,437 crore in FY25

CSR spending by 183 CPSEs rose to a record Rs 6,437 crore in FY25 even as their net profit fell 9.6 per cent, with most outlay going to health, sanitation and poverty alleviation

Public-sector banks okay ₹28k cr in MSME loans via new digital model

The overall rejection rate across banks stood at about 20 per cent, with variation across institutions depending on credit profiles and digital data availability

India offers higher FDI, easier bank branch norms under New Zealand FTA

Under the India-New Zealand FTA's Financial Services Annex, India has offered higher FDI limits in banking and insurance and a simpler licensing regime for foreign bank branches

MSME body pitches unified regulator; seeks banking oversight shift

According to Fisme, the Indian banking system operates under conditions of monopolistic competition, with high switching costs giving banks significant market power over borrowers, particularly MSMEs

'Shriram Finance's lending rate may reduce by up to 100 bps in 18 months'

Shriram Finance Vice-Chairman Umesh Revankar said regulatory approvals are expected by the end of the current financial year

MUFG Bank not keen on raising Shriram Finance stake beyond proposed 20%

MUFG Bank said it will not raise its stake above the proposed 20 per cent in Shriram Finance and has no plans to invest in other Shriram Group entities, even as SFL approved a $4.4 billion deal