
	
State Bank of Bikaner &amp; Jaipur (SBBJ) halted its branch expansion a few years back as it expected to merge its operations with parent State Bank of India (SBI).

If we do not grow we will degenerate: Shiva Kumar

Business Standard

Former RBI governor, Y V Reddy, in a conversation with Indivjal Dhasmana about his new book, Economic Policies and India&rsquo;s Reform Agenda: New Thinking, says the country should weigh risks vis-&agrave;-vis benefits before allowing the entry of industrial houses in the banking space.

Risks are real, benefits not certain: Y V Reddy

Inflows from abroad could ensure India ends the year with a surplus balance of payments. A gaining rupee is unlikely to hurt exports, as currencies of competing economies are also strengthening, Hemant Mishr, managing director and head of global markets for South Asia at Standard Chartered Bank tells Sumit Sharma.

Q&A: Hemant Mishr, StanChart

The huge glass-panelled window on the 13th floor of NCPA Apartments at Nariman Point offers a breathtaking view of the bay and Malabar Hill &mdash; home to another set of Mumbai&rsquo;s rich and famous. But Sanjiv Bajaj prefers his other home at Akurdi near Pune where life is relatively unhurried, write Shyamal Majumdar and Sumit Sharma.

Breakfast with BS: Sanjiv Bajaj

Vikram Akula would be hard to pick out in a crowd.

Lunch with BS: Vikram Akula, SKS Microfinance

In April 2009 when she quit ICICI Ventures, Renuka Ramnath felt like &ldquo;a mother whose child has been snatched away&rdquo;. A year and a half later, she has hit the ground running again by raising $350 million for her new baby &mdash; Mutiples Alternate Asset Management, writes Shyamal Majumdar.

Lunch with BS: Renuka Ramnath

With only one investment in the past three years of its presence in India, Advent International Private Equity is hopeful of closing a couple of deals in the next 12 months. The PE firm is looking to invest in financial services, healthcare and the industrial space in India from its $10 billion global fund.

Q&A: David Mussafer, Advent

IDFC Capital, the investment banking arm of Infrastructure Development Finance Corporation, has placed equity worth Rs 10,000 crore for its clients in the current financial year. In an interview with Sudeep Jain and Sumit Sharma, Group CEO (Investment Banking and Securities) Tapasije Mishra talks about pricing challenges in IPOs, the outlook on PSU divestment and new areas of opportunity in the infrastructure space.

Q&A: Tapasije Mishra, Group CEO, IDFC Capital

The U K Sinha committee report, which was released by the government this week, seeks to make life more predictable for foreign investors besides suggesting that steps should be initiated to protect individuals investing overseas. Sinha, who is the chairman and managing director of UTI Asset Management Company, spoke to Sidhartha about the committee&rsquo;s recommendations.

Q&A: U K Sinha, CMD, UTI AMC

ICICI Bank Chairman K V Kamath says the best part of India&rsquo;s growth momentum is that around 65 per cent of the economy does not need external funding. This will continue in future. He also expects interest rate pressure to ease from the first quarter of the next financial year.

Q&A: K V Kamath, Chairman, ICICI Bank

By filing a case against Citibank in the Rs 300-crore fraud at its Gurgaon branch, Sanjeev Aggarwal has shifted the focus of investigations from one bank employee, Shivraj Puri, to the whole branch. In an interview with Business Standard&rsquo;s Ranju Sarkar &amp; Tinesh Bhasin, the co-founder of Helion Investment Advisors, shares his lessons on wealth management.

Q&A: Sanjeev Aggarwal, Co-founder, Helion Investment Advisors

UBS, the Swiss investment bank, inked a number of deals across sectors in merger and acquisition (M&amp;A) and private equity (PE) space and marked a strong presence in 2010. In the largest M&amp;A deal of 2010, UBS advised Zain Telecom in its $10-billion African business sell out to Bharti. It also advised Reliance Industries for its $3-billion joint venture with Pioneer Natural Resources and Newpek.

Q&A: Ganeshan Murugaiyan, MD, UBS India

It&rsquo;s better to be boring in an exciting market like India than exciting in a boring market like the US, Stanchart&rsquo;s Asia CEO says, defending the bank&rsquo;s reputation for conservatism.

Lunch with BS: Jaspal Bindra

ICICI Bank is back. It has recorded its highest-ever quarterly net profit on a standalone basis at Rs 1,437.02 crore. Besides, the bank has reported no &lsquo;material&rsquo; slippages and loan growth of 15.3 per cent year-on-year. Addressing a post-result media teleconference, Chanda Kochhar, managing director and CEO, said it is not done yet and its focus areas remain the same &mdash; increasing the share of low-cost deposits and controlling costs and non-performing assets (NPAs).

Q&A: Chanda Kochhar, MD and CEO, ICICI Bank

As the wholesale price index-based inflation numbers remain high, banks are expected to witness a moderation in their margins in 2011. However, growth and profitability will remain robust, according to Vijaya Bank Chairman and Managing Director Albert Tauro. In an interview with Debasis Mohapatra, he shared his perspectives about the banking industry, with a focus on his bank.

Q&A: Albert Tauro, Chairman and MD, Vijaya Bank

Reserve Bank of India Deputy Governor Subir Gokarn explains to Manojit Saha what prompted the central bank to go for a smaller rate increase and why it is concerned about the high incremental credit-deposit ratio.

Q&A: Subir Gokarn, RBI deputy governor

The verdict of the much-awaited Malegam committee on micro-finance institutions (MFIs) is out, but the industry is not happy. Strapped for cash after being accused of coercion, the MFIs are now faced with the daunting task of raising as much as Rs 6,000 crore in the next six months to provide for possible bad loans in Andhra Pradesh, which recently cleared a Bill to regulate MFIs.

Q&A: Vijay Mahajan, Founder, Basix

Following a spate of bribery cases, Indian Inc may be in for some severe trouble after the UK Bribery Act comes into force from April 1. Hartmut Mai, the global head of financial lines at Allianz, tells Shilpy Sinha that the new law will put additional pressure on corporate India.

Q&A: Hartmut Mai, Global head of financial lines, Allianz

More than 10 years into the non-life business in India, AIG Inc, which holds 26 per cent stake in Tata AIG General, is ready to take growth to the next level. Julio A Portalatin, President and CEO, Chartis Growth Economies and Senior Vice President, General Insurance AIG Inc, who looks after operations in 52 countries, in his first interview in India, tells Niladri Bhattacharya the current third-party motor pool should be dismantled, and the regulator should free the prices.

Q&A: Julio A Portalatin 

A section of the Dhanlaxmi Bank employees&rsquo; union recently alleged the Thrissur-based lender had resorted to window dressing its financial accounts. In an interview with Abhijit Lele and Somasroy Chakraborty, managing director and chief executive Amitabh Chaturvedi dismisses these allegations, saying the annual regulatory inspection did not find any irregularities in its books.

Q&A: Amitabh Chaturvedi, Dhanlaxmi Bank

Amid fear of an economic slowdown, ICICI Lombard, the largest private sector general insurer in the country, collected premiums worth about Rs 3,000 crore in the first seven months of the current financial year. Managing Director and chief executive Bhargav Dasgupta tells Niladri Bhattacharya though the industry would record 20-25 per cent growth in 2011-12, third-party motor pool losses would hit profitability.

Q&A: Bhargav Dasgupta, ICICI Lombard GIC

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