Aditya Puri, managing director of HDFC Bank, today ruled out the possibility of merger with HDFC or acquiring smaller banks in the near future."The bank is exploring strategic tie ups with other banks in New York and London, and planning to open branches in Hong Kong and Singapore," Puri said after launching co-branded cards with Idea Cellular.Subject to RBI nod, the country's second largest private bank also plans to open 200 more branches this fiscal across the nation - half of which would be in semi-urban and "under-banked" areas, he said.HDFC Bank now has close to 500 branches and 1,200 ATMs across 219 cities.The bank is focusing on loans to shop-keepers, farmers and the SME segment. "There has been 100% growth in loans to shop-keepers and 50% growth in the SME segment," Puri said.
