Banking Industry

Optimum credit-deposit ratio for banks is 76-80%, says SBI report

CD ratio of banks stood at 82% as of December 15

Compliance to compassion: A cultural shift at India's financial regulator

A cultural shift for India's financial regulator - from rule-based monitor to human-centred facilitator

Banker's promise: Building trust for tomorrow in India's banking system

Banks are no longer perceived as buildings or branches but as experiences - instant, intuitive, transparent and ethical

Positive business outlook nudges banks to hire for sales growth: Experts

"In terms of hiring strategies for lenders, hiring is now more focused on the business side rather than collections," said a private sector bankers

Enhanced RBI oversight strengthens banks' operating environment: Fitch

Indian banks are set to benefit from enhanced oversight by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and a more robust supervisory toolkit, which should reduce systemic risks and improve the operating environment, a report said. These shifts, paired with strong economic growth prospects and reduced inflation risks, are credit positive for the sector, global rating agency Fitch said in a report. "We believe regulatory responses to stress events, frameworks for monitoring risks and recovery of impaired loans have improved in recent years. Consequently, weaknesses that contributed to the last non-performing loan spike between the financial year ended March 2016 (FY16) and FY18 have been significantly reduced," it said. Banking system metrics are the strongest in years. However, some more recent reforms have not been tested in a down cycle, it said, adding that the sector non-performing loan ratio fell to 2.2 per cent in 1HFY26 (from a peak of 11.2 per cent in FY18). The common equity Tier 1 rati

RBI sets transaction-level materiality thresholds on related-party loans

For banks with assets exceeding Rs 10 trillion, the ceiling for the materiality threshold has been set at Rs 25 crore

Govt extends tenure of SBI MD Ashwini Kumar Tewari for another 2 years

The government has extended the tenure of State Bank of India Managing Director Ashwini Kumar Tewari for another two years. The central government re-appoints Ashwini Kumar Tewari as Managing Director in State Bank of India (SBI) with effect from the date of his assumption of charge of the post, beyond his currently notified term, which is ending on January 27 2026, till the date of his superannuation that is December 31, 2027, the state-owned lender said in a regulatory filing on Wednesday. This is the second time that Tewari got a two-year extension. The first time he got an extension was in 2024. He was appointed as MD of SBI in January 2021 for an initial three-year term. The SBI board is headed by the Chairman, assisted by four managing directors.

PSBs rework branch strategy to cut costs amid changing customer behaviour

PSU banks are reviewing low-traffic locations, shrinking branch sizes and using AI-driven site analytics as digital adoption rises, leading to more mergers and micro branches in rural areas

Axis Bank plans to hire 50 private bankers amid wealth boom in India

Axis Bank plans to add 50 private bankers and launch multiple funds from GIFT City as it expands Burgundy Private to tap India's rapidly growing wealthy client base

DFS tightens grievance redressal oversight; banks, insurers face rankings

In a key reform introduced in June 2025, DFS began ranking public sector banks, private sector banks and public sector insurers on the basis of the quality and timeliness of grievance disposal

ICICI Bank to maintain over 51% stake in all 3 of its listed entities: ED

The country's second largest private sector lender ICICI Bank is aiming to maintain over 51 per cent stake in all three of its listed entities, a senior official said on Monday. Its Executive Director Sandeep Batra said the bank is also committed to maintaining over 51 per cent stake in the IPO-bound ICICI Prudential Asset Management Company, and hence, it is upping stake by 2 percentage points before the entity hits the markets. "We are committed to ensuring all our three listed entities remain our subsidiaries. So, our stake will remain at over 51 per cent," Batra told reporters at a press conference here. The mutual fund arm's Managing Director and Chief Executive Nimesh Shah said that ICICI Bank will pick up the additional 2 per cent stake for the same price as the one which will be paid by other investors as part of its initial public offering. Shah added that at present, the ICICI Bank ownership in the company is 51 per cent, which will go up to 53 per cent post the IPO, ...

Russia's Gazprombank, Alfa Bank seek RBI approval to set up India branches

US President Donald Trump has piled pressure on New Delhi over its ties with Moscow as India and Russia aim for bilateral trade of $100 billion by 2030, from $69 billion currently

RBI defers credit information reporting norms for CICs to July 1, 2026

RBI pushed the amended credit information reporting directions to July 1, 2026 and eased reporting requirements after feedback, while also clarifying rules for BSBD accounts

Bank of Maharashtra OFS oversubscribed, govt mops up ₹2,492 crore

With the oversubscription of the offer-for-sale (OFS) of state-owned Bank of Maharashtra, the government is expected to realise about Rs 2,492 crore by diluting its 6 per cent stake in the bank. With the allotment of shares, the Pune-based lender would become Minimum Public Shareholding compliant with the Sebi norms. The OFS of Bank of Maharashtra closed for subscription Wednesday at a floor price of Rs 54 per share. At this price, the government would mop up about Rs 2,492 crore by divesting its 6 per cent stake in the lender. Prior to the OFS, the government's holding in the bank was 79.60 per cent. With the stake dilution to 73.6 per cent, the bank would be able to meet the MPS norm of 25 per cent as the government stake would come below 75 per cent. "The second day of Bank of Maharashtra OFS closed with good interest from investors and 1.72 times subscription. With this, the Bank is now Minimum Public Shareholding compliant. We thank all investors for their participation," ...

Consensus seems to be pause by RBI's MPC, says SBI chairman C S Setty

C S Setty says effective liability management will help the bank to protect its margin above 3%

RBI Ombudsman complaints rise 13.6% in FY25, led by loan and card issues

Complaints under the RBI's Integrated Ombudsman Scheme grew to 1.33 million in FY25, driven by grievances over loans, credit cards and mobile banking

Govt blocks 87 illegal loan lending applications after due process

The government on Monday said a total of 87 illegal loan lending applications have been blocked after following the due process. "Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) is empowered to issue blocking directions to block the Information for public access under section 69A of the Information Technology Act 2000. "So far, after following the due process, MeitY has blocked a total of 87 illegal loan lending applications under section 69A of the Information Technology Act 2000," Minister of State for Corporate Affairs Harsh Malhotra informed Lok Sabha on Monday. In a written reply, he also said that regulatory action for inquiry, inspection of books of accounts and investigation under the Companies Act, 2013 is taken from time to time against companies, including the ones indulged in online lending activities through loan apps. "Whenever any violation under the Companies Act, 2013 is found on the basis of the above, an appropriate legal action is taken," he said. Th

RBI imposes ₹91 lakh penalty on HDFC Bank for violation of norms

The bank had also outsourced the function of determining compliance with KYC norms of certain customers to its outsourcing agents

AU Small Finance Bank strengthens board with 2 new independent directors

The bank has appointed N S Venkatesh and Satyajit Dwivedi as non-executive independent directors for a three-year term, and reappointed Malini Thadani for a second three-year term

RBL Bank, Emirates NBD leaderships chart out post-investment road map

The transaction is to be executed through a primary infusion of roughly $3 billion, or ₹26,850 crore, and the proposed investment is to be made via a preferential issue of up to 60% in RBL Bank