We intend to use open architecture to build scale: SBM Bank's Sidharth Rath

Sidharth Rath, MD and CEO, spoke to Raghu Mohan on the scale of the bank's ambition and the collaborative approach to rolling out business in its new avatar

The State Bank of Mauritius (SBM) is among two foreign banks which opted to incorporate locally in the country, the other being DBS Bank. The strategy is to tap into the Indian Ocean-rim economies and connect with the Indian diaspora. With local incorporation, SBM, in regulatory terms, is on a par with homegrown private banks. Sidharth Rath, managing director (MD) and chief executive officer (CEO), spoke to Raghu Mohan on the scale of the bank’s ambition and the collaborative approach to rolling out business in its new avatar. Edited excerpts:

What were the reasons for SBM’s local incorporation?

Mauritius is a pass-through