TMS Ep143: Deepak Parekh, Covid-19 cases, HDFC merger, edge data centres

For most of us, Monday morning kicked-off with the news that mortgage lender HDFC Ltd was merging with HDFC Bank. The combined entity could be the country’s second largest company -- surpassing TCS. Deepak S Parekh, who oversaw the merger and spent two sleepless nights before the big announcement, is a relieved man now. Find out more about the 77-year-old industry veteran who has been at the helm of HDFC for over half a century, before finding a home for it.

HDFC merger may trigger consolidation in the banking industry, which is now recovering from the effects of pandemic. Meanwhile, fresh cases of Covid-19 dropped below 1,000-mark on Monday -- the lowest since April 2020 when it all began. The signs of recovery are all over now. Markets are buzzing with life, airports and hotels with travelers and gyms with fitness enthusiasts. Schools too have reopened. But, at the same time, fresh cases are also surfacing in some parts of the world. So, what is the road ahead for the country? Can we afford to lower the guard? 

Meanwhile, sticking with the merger story, HDFC Ltd shareholders will get 1.68 shares of HDFC Bank for every share held. While the merger will increase the bank’s product portfolio and ability to cross-sell, there are some financial and regulatory concerns that investors should know. 

After the banking industry, let us move on to the future of technology. NxtGen Datacenter and Cloud Technologies have announced to invest Rs 1,300 crore to set up 236 edge centres across India. RailTel too has decided to create several edge data centres in the country’s rural and semi-urban areas. On the face of it, this sounds like a run of the mill investment in connectivity infrastructure. But there is more here than meets the eye. Let us find out why and more in this episode of the podcast. 

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