The new challenge on the banking turf

Raising deposits to keep pace with loan growth and keeping credit cost low top the agenda for banks

When a patient is critical, doctors keep checking the level of oxygen in the blood. The "SpO2" reading on a pulse oximeter shows the percentage of oxygen in someone's blood. For a reasonably healthy person, a doctor prefers to check blood pressure and blood sugar.

Replace the patient/healthy person with a bank and the doctor with a banking analyst. When some Indian banks were in a bad shape, the focus was on the quality of assets: How much non-performing assets (NPAs) these banks had on their books. The NPAs were the oximeter. Of course, unlike oxygen in blood, lower the