India

Kotak Mahindra Bank's Q3 net profit up 47%

Kotak Mahindra Bank's Q3 net profit up 47%

Kotak Mahindra Bank posted a 46.96% increase in net profit with Rs 276 crore for the quarter ended December 31, 2011.

Bank of Ceylon to expand premier banking services

Bank of Ceylon will expand its Premier Banking network.

State Bank of India to increase microfinance portfolio by 50%

The lenders exposure to the MFI sector has a significant amount for micro lenders serving small borrowers.

IDBI to raise $200M through bonds, ADB loan

IDBI Bank Ltd. plans to raise $200 million by selling bonds and is seeking partially guaranteed ADB loan.

Kisan credit cards to double up as debit cards

The nearly 10 crore farmers who hold kisan credit cards will soon be able to use their card as a deposit account and a debit card. This will help the government scale up its financial inclusion plan quickly without relying on bank accounts alone. KCC, which has been instrumental in faster delivery of credit to farmers, is like an overdraft account with a bank that has to be operated through a cheque book or withdrawal slip. The card is used only to store the details of the account. "We are working on revamping the current concept of KCC. It is aimed at providing more financial freedom to farmers who can use this at various point of sales," said a finance ministry official, requesting anonymity. The revamped card will have features of both credit card and deposit account. "This would reduce the need for multiple accounts in the bank," said the official. Banks will give interest credit to farmers with credit balances in KCCs to encourage them to remit farm sale proceeds into their KCC account. "Today, farmers avail the full credit amount in one go and end up paying higher interest amount. If it becomes a debit card, they will use it as and when required and pay substantially lower interest burden," said UC Sarangi, former chairman of Nabard, or the National Bank for Agricultural and Rural Development. For the source of this story, click here.

HDFC starts offering trading app for smartphones

The technology is equipped with sophisticated features to ease clients’ trading, transaction and market information gathering.

UCO Bank auctions non-perfroming assets next week

UCO Bank will open the auction for sale of Rs.3 to 4 billion non-performing assets next week.

ICICI Bank launches the first dual Platinum Credit Card

ICICI Bank launched the ICICI Bank Rubyx – India’s first Platinum Credit Card with dual card benefits.

Plans of Indian banks to form subsidiaries get nixed

The Reserve Bank of India rejected proposals by several banks to launch wholly-owned subsidiaries.

ICICI Bank to establish presence in Facebook

Opening account in the social networking site is one of its strategies to continue providing "superior banking services.

India may sue HSBC over black money

The Indian government may sue HSBC for persuading their executives to stash undeclared money in a Geneva branch.

Standard Chartered to increase financing for Indian companies

According to Bloomberg, StanChart ranks third in Indian mergers advisory this year.

SBI kicks off mobile banking scheme for villagers

Villagers only need to produce a certificate from the headman along with photographs for opening of accounts.

Nepal's Nations Trust Bank post-tax profits up 38%

The Nations Trust Bank reported post-tax profits of Rs 1,170 million for the first 9 months of the year, up 38% over the corresponding period in 2010.

India’s banking system outlook changed to negative: Moody’s

Analysts anticipate that asset quality will deteriorate over the next 12-18 months, given the tightening environment.

State Bank of India to raise $1.63bn

The fundraising activity before March aims to augment thin capital and weakening asset quality.

Weak India performance pulls down StanChart results

Standard Chartered's problems in India caused its growth to slow down in the latest quarter.