Banking

Can't treat compliance as a quarter-end activity: RBI DG Swaminathan J

RBI's Swaminathan urges banks to strengthen compliance, operational resilience, data governance, and third-party risk management to prevent disruptions and improve supervision

Kotak Mahindra Bank appoints Anup Kumar Saha as whole-time director

He will oversee consumer banking, marketing and data analytics at the bank

RBI advocates disclosure of NPA, penalties & inspection info; banks oppose

Four major banks -- Bank of Baroda, RBL Bank, Yes Bank and State Bank of India -- have approached the CIC objecting to the disclosure of information such as the list of defaulters and NPA, penalties and inspection reports, even as the RBI termed the records "liable to be disclosed" under the RTI Act. RTI applicants Dheeraj Mishra, Vathiraj, Girish Mittal and Radha Raman Tiwari had filed separate applications with the RBI, seeking information, such as the top 100 NPAs, willful defaulters of Yes Bank, the inspection report of the SBI and RBL, and documents relating to a Rs 4.34 crore monetary penalty imposed following statutory inspection findings from the Bank of Baroda, respectively, among others. These banks appealed before the Central Information Commission, after the bankers' bank found that the information sought by RTI Applicants could be disclosed under the provisions of the Right to Information Act. Information Commissioner Khushwant Singh Sethi referred the matter to a large

Bank employees' unions threaten to go on nationwide strike on Jan 27

Bank employees' unions under the aegis of the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) have threatened to go on a nationwide strike on January 27, demanding implementation of a 5-day week. If the strike materialises, it would have a significant impact primarily on the operations of public sector banks for three days in a row, as January 25 and 26 are holidays. At present, bank employees get off on the second and fourth Saturday of each month, apart from Sundays. Declaring the remaining two Saturdays as holidays was agreed between the Indian Banks' Association (IBA) and UFBU during the wage revision settlement in March, 2024. "It is unfortunate that the government is not responding to our genuine demand. There would be no loss of man-hours because we have agreed to an extra 40 minutes working per day from Monday to Friday," UFBU said in a statement. Already, RBI, LIC, GIC, etc., are working for 5 days a week, it said, adding that the foreign exchange market, money market, stock exchanges

Credit growth nears 12% as deposit growth slows to 9.35% till Dec 15

Credit growth remained strong till December 15, while deposit growth weakened further, widening the credit-deposit gap and underscoring persistent liquidity tightness in the banking system

Public sector banks' staff count rises for first time in five years

RBI data show public sector banks added staff in FY25 for the first time in five years, while private banks' headcount fell, led by a sharp drop at ICICI Bank

What will change across banking, salaries, farming and daily life from January 1, 2026?

As 2026 begins, a wide set of rule changes quietly come into force. From banking and digital payments to salaries, farming schemes, fuel prices and social media

Bank NPAs at multi-decade lows as gross NPA ratio falls to 2.1%: RBI data

RBI's Trends and Progress report shows banks' asset quality improved, with gross NPAs down to 2.1% by September 2025 and net NPAs at 0.5%, aided by recoveries and provisioning

Half of new bank branches in FY25 opened in tier-1 centres; ATMs dip: RBI

RBI's Trend and Progress report said scheduled commercial banks expanded branches mainly in tier-1 centres in FY25, while ATM numbers declined modestly due to fewer off-site machines

RBI's new guidelines may slow expansion of urban cooperative banks

Officials also said the new rules would raise compliance costs by over 20 per cent

Mint Road in 2025: A year filled with opening doors and tightening screws

The year saw Mint Road push banks towards capital markets, revisit deposit insurance and revive UCB licensing, signalling reform that expands opportunity without diluting caution

RBI's Board approves risk-based deposit insurance framework for banks

RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra chaired the meeting

Indian banks face deposit dilemma as RBI rate cuts squeeze margins

Indian banks are struggling to balance deposit mobilisation and margin protection after the RBI's latest rate cut, as savers shift away from banks even as credit growth remains strong

Best of BS Opinion: New rural jobs law will bring significant changes

Today's wrap looks at the new rural jobs law, the push to open civil nuclear power to private investors, a US strategic reset, RBI's views on bank ownership, and a book on American power

IndusInd Bank chairman to step down in January amid organisational overhaul

The bank reported its largest-ever quarterly loss in the three months ended March 31, following a $230 million hit to its accounts, amid governance and accounting failures

Govt may seek bids for $7 bn IDBI Bank stake, advancing privatisation push

A government agency is expected to formally open the bidding process as soon as this month, in what could be the biggest state-backed disposal of a bank stake in decades

RBI's revised norms empower cooperative banks with greater autonomy

RBI's final business authorisation norms expand operational autonomy for co-op banks while strengthening oversight, introducing a four-tier framework for the diverse UCB sector

SMFG accelerates India expansion by boosting lending, $5 bn buying blitz

Japan's second-largest lender has made investments to expand in financial services from retail to wholesale banking in India, such as a landmark deal that made it the biggest shareholder of Yes Bank

Netbanking switch to provide better visibility into transactions: NBBL CEO

NBBL's Banking Connect aims to streamline netbanking by standardising bank-aggregator ties, giving regulators better visibility and improving settlement, success rates and grievance management

Bank credit to improve to 11.5-12.5% in FY26, says CareEdge Ratings

Careedge expects stronger bank performance in FY26, with credit growth rising to 11.5-12.5% on consumption and corporate demand, even as weak deposit growth keeps the credit-deposit ratio high