Dutch banking giant ABN Amro, the target of intense takeover speculation, would give the winner enhanced presence in a range of financial sectors such as retail banking, mutual funds and brokerage services in India, the world's second fastest growing economy.Even as UK's third largest bank Barclays Plc said in a statement it will make an announcement tomorrow on reports about its interest in ABN Amro, industry observers say that India could be one of the key reasons behind a possible bid.Barclays CEO John Varley said at an analysts conference last month he was looking for "aggressive" growth and would consider acquisitions to enter the emerging markets."Our exposure to emerging markets is still quite low.... We would like to increase our exposure to them," he had said.Barclays has been looking to strengthen its presence in India and other Asian markets like China, Singapore, Pakistan, Hong Kong and plans to increase its exposure in these markets.Besides Barclays, international media reports suggest that French banking giants Societe General and BNP Paribas as well as a couple of Spanish banks could be interested in acquiring ABN Amro.The acquirer would get a ready-made market as ABN Amro has established significant presence in markets like India, Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Pakistan, Indonesia and Malaysia.In contrast, Barclays and many other potential bidders are yet to establish a strong presence in India's retail and commercial banking space. Even in India, Barclays' presence in retail and commercial segments is negligible, an analyst said.ABN Amro has witnessed strong growth in retail banking and credit card business in India in the recent past and these are the two high-potential businesses.
