DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Exclusive: India refiners start yuan payments for Russian oil imports -sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Nidhi Verma | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

It could not immediately be determined how much Russian oil Indian refiners have bought with yuan, although Indian Oil has paid in yuan for multiple cargoes, sources said. The rise in yuan payments has given a boost to Beijing's efforts to internationalise its currency, with Chinese banks promoting its use specifically for Russian oil trade. Indian refiners have also settled some non-dollar payments for Russian oil in the United Arab Emirates' dirham, sources have said. One private refiner has also been using the same mechanism for payments for Russian oil, one of the sources said. Another state refiner, Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL.NS), is also exploring yuan payment for Russian oil, a separate source said.

Persons: IOC's, Rosneft, Nidhi Verma, Tony Munroe, Tom Hogue Organizations: U.S, Indian Oil Corp, Reliance Industries Ltd, Nayara Energy, HPCL Mittal Energy Ltd, Oil, Gazprom Neft, Reuters, United Arab, State Bank of India, NS Bora, Sun Ship Management, European Union, IOC, ICICI Bank, Bank of China, Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd, Thomson Locations: DELHI, Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, India, China, Saudi Arabia, Indian, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Iraq, United Kingdom, Bank, Rosneft, ICICI

☆ Goldman strategist says one country offers the 'most fertile ground for picking stocks' and shares his favorites
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Weizhen Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

That's despite Indian stocks already soaring, with the country's benchmark indexes BSE Sensex and Nifty 50 soaring to new record highs on Friday, according to Refinitiv data. He said that Indian stocks have a 16% compound annual return over the last 20 years in local currency terms, and 13% in dollar terms. It also has a high proportion of what Goldman analysts dub "multibagger" stocks, according to Koul. Goldman Sach screened 25 large-cap Indian stocks for those with an attractive growth and valuation profile. Four banks meet its criteria: HDFC Bank , ICICI Bank , State Bank of India and Kotak Mahindra Bank.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Sunil Koul, CNBC's, Koul, That's, Goldman, Banks, Goldman Sach, Larsen, Toubro, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Asia Pacific, CNBC, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, State Bank of India, Kotak Mahindra Bank, U.S . Global, SBI, UltraTech, Growers Locations: India, U.S

It is not the end of our relationship with the IMF though, as the SBA is a short-term bridging operation. GARETH LEATHER, SENIOR ASIA ECONOMIST AT CAPITAL ECONOMICS, LONDON"The agreement of a loan deal between Pakistan and the IMF should put the economy back on a more secure footing and limit the biggest downside risks. There is a strong risk that Pakistan reneges on the deal once the immediate crisis has passed. Our target shall be that the next IMF programme should be the last one and it would be a great opportunity to correct our fiscal account once and for all." "Things would have been much better if successive governments would have invested in completing the IMF programme.

Persons: MURTAZA SYED, GARETH, Shehbaz Sharif, ABDUL ALEEM, SHERANI, SHAHBAZ ASHRAF, MAHA RAHMAN, ZAFAR MASUD, MUSTAFA PASHA, SHAHID HABIB, ARIF HABIB, ZULQARNAIN, MOHAMMED SOHAIL, AHFAZ MUSTAFA, ISMAIL IQBAL, SAJID AMIN JAVED, Ariba Shahid, Shilpa Jamkhandikar, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Monetary Fund, South, IMF, BANK OF PAKISTAN, SBA, State Bank, EFF, Capital, UL HAQ, OF PUNJAB, Pakistan, ARIF, Thomson Locations: Pakistan, ASIA, KARACHI, ISLAMABAD, LAHORE, PAKISTAN

☆ HDFC to merge into HDFC Bank on July 1, create India’s financial behemoth
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Siddhi Nayak | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Both the companies have set July 13 as the "record date" to swap HDFC's shares with HDFC Bank's stock for its shareholders, HDFC and HDFC Bank said in separate exchange filings on Friday. With the share swap, HDFC Bank will become one of the world's top 10 banks in terms of market capitalisation, as per Refinitiv data. After the merger, HDFC Bank has no identified promoter. With the merger, HDFC Bank's total loan book will be over 22 trillion rupees, behind only that of State Bank of India (SBI.NS), the country’s largest lender. Both the entities have set July 12 as a record date for transfer of non-convertible debentures of HDFC in the name of HDFC Bank.

Persons: Sashidhar Jagdishan, HDFC's Keki Mistry, Siddhi Nayak, Jose Joseph, Shilpi Majumdar, Maju Samuel Organizations: Housing Development Finance Corp, HDFC Bank, HDFC, State Bank of India, Reuters, Siddhi, Thomson Locations: Renu, India, HDFC

☆ ICICI Bank is dealmaking from a place of strength
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The $80 billion ICICI Bank (ICBK.NS) is weighing up a delisting of its broking firm ICICI Securities (ICCI.NS), the news prompted a 10% rally in the shares of the $2.4 billion unit. This time the country’s second largest private sector lender is dealmaking from a position of strength. It was one among a flurry of subsidiary IPOs that battered lenders including State Bank of India (SBI.NS) undertook to generate cash. ICICI Bank was particularly vulnerable, with then CEO Chanda Kochhar battling allegations of dodgy lending to the Videocon group. ICICI Securities trades at roughly 18 times trailing earnings but went public at more than twice that valuation, Centrum Broking calculated at the time.

Persons: Chanda Kochhar, Sandeep Bakhshi, Shritama Bose, Blackstone, Aston Martin, Una Galani, Thomas Shum Organizations: Reuters, ICICI Bank, ICICI Securities, State Bank of India, Twitter, Siemens, Telecom Italia, Vivendi, Thomson Locations: MUMBAI, Canada

☆ Vietnam to extend VAT cut until year-end to prop up slowing economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

HANOI, June 24 (Reuters) - Vietnamese lawmakers on Saturday approved a government plan to extend a reduction in value added tax (VAT) on goods and services until the end of this year to boost domestic consumption and production, as its export-driven economy faces headwinds from slowing global demand. The VAT cut to 8% from 10%, which has been in place since early last year, is not applicable to such services and products as banking, finance and real estate. "The move will boost consumption, and hence supporting business and production activities," Minister of Finance Ho Duc Phoc said in a report to the National Assembly last month. A VAT cut is expected to boost domestic consumption to compensate for the sharp fall in exports. It last cut the refinance rate to 4.5%, the discount rate to 3.0% and the electronic interbank rate to 5.0% on June 19.

Persons: Finance Ho Duc Phoc, Khanh Vu, Toby Chopra Organizations: Finance, National Assembly, State Bank of, Thomson Locations: HANOI, State Bank of Vietnam

☆ Paris summit: More needs to be done for low-income countries, says Pakistan's ex-central bank chief
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailParis summit: More needs to be done for low-income countries, says Pakistan's ex-central bank chiefReza Baqir, managing director at Alvarez & Marsal and former governor of the State Bank of Pakistan, says "there will be pledges, but if history is any guide … the world will not have an adequate mechanism to monitor how those pledges convert to actual inflows for developing countries."

Persons: Reza Baqir, Alvarez Organizations: Marsal, State Bank of Locations: Paris, State Bank of Pakistan

☆ Mega-merger gives Indian lender new lease on life
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Shritama Bose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

HDFC Bank (HDBK.NS), the country’s largest private lender, is set in July to complete its merger with its parent, partner and 26% shareholder Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC) (HDFC.NS). That’s a great opportunity for the larger, streamlined HDFC Bank – until now it sold most home loans it originated to its parent. However, the share of mortgages in HDFC Bank’s portfolio will rise close to 30%, compared to SBI’s 20%. HDFC Bank remains a fixer-upper in a couple of important respects, though. Housing Development Finance Corporation created HDFC Bank in 1994 and remains a 26% shareholder.

Persons: Sashidhar Jagdishan, That’s, HDFC, Jagdishan, Breakingviews, Srinivasan Vaidyanathan, Antony Currie, Thomas Shum Organizations: Reuters, HDFC Bank, Housing Development Finance Corporation, –, Bank of India, Mahindra Bank, Reserve Bank of India, Thomson Locations: MUMBAI, Asia, China, United States, watchdogs, Credila

☆ Exclusive: Mutual funds may not get holdings waiver post HDFC Bank - HDFC merger - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Jayshree P Upadhyay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

HDFC Bank and HDFC - both heavily owned by mutual funds - are set to conclude a merger in the next few weeks to create India's second-largest financial institution by assets after the State Bank of India. At least 60 equity mutual fund schemes will see their combined exposure to HDFC Bank and HDFC overshoot the 10% cap as of Wednesday. The matter has been referred to the Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI), according to two mutual fund executives. "HDFC Bank and HDFC are fairly liquid stocks and have a lot of demand. Shares of HDFC Bank have risen 6.5% since April 1, 2022, but have still underperormed the broader BSE Bankex, which is up 17%.

Persons: SEBI, Deven Choksey, Jayshree, Varun, Dhanya Ann Thoppil Organizations: HDFC Bank, Reuters, HDFC, State Bank of India, Securities and Exchange Board of India, Association of Mutual Funds, KRChoksey Holdings, Thomson Locations: MUMBAI, India

☆ About 80% of Indians choose to deposit withdrawn 2000-rupee notes, boost bank deposits - bankers
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Siddhi Nayak | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MUMBAI, June 7 (Reuters) - About three-fourths of Indians are choosing to deposit the recently withdrawn 2000-rupee notes into bank accounts so far rather than exchanging them for smaller denominations, with the trend likely to boost bank deposits, bankers said. In May, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said it would withdraw these high-value notes from circulation and permitted their exchange or deposit until Sept. 30. When announced, the value of these notes in circulation was 3.6 trillion rupees ($43.61 billion), the RBI said. Though the total quantum of notes deposited or exchanged so far is not available, six public and private sector bankers Reuters spoke to said over 80% of the notes received by them have been deposited into accounts. The initial assumption is the overall bank deposit base would increase by at least 1.5 trillion rupees, with SBI contributing 22%-25%, the SBI official said.

Persons: Virat Diwanji, Gaura Sen Gupta, Dipanwita Mazumdar, Siddhi Nayak, Swati Bhat, Sonia Cheema Organizations: Reserve Bank of India, Reuters, State Bank of India, Bank of Baroda, Union Bank of India, Bank of India, Kotak Mahindra Bank, IDFC FIRST Bank, SBI, Siddhi, Thomson Locations: MUMBAI, BOB.NS, India

☆ Indian ports will test tycoons' safe harbour
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Pranav Kiran | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

For the public market wannabe, it tees up a tricky benchmark in a global industry with few listed giants. JSW Infrastructure is closely aligned to India’s growth story. More than half of cargo handled at Indian ports last year was coal, petroleum oil and lubricants. JSW Infrastructure grew revenue 92% in the three years to March 2022, three times as fast as its rival. JSW Infrastructure, India’s second largest commercial ports operator by cargo handling capacity, in May filed for an initial public offering in Mumbai to raise up to 28 billion rupees ($340 million).

Persons: Gautam Adani, Sajjan Jindal, Adani, JSW, ”, Una Galani, Katrina Hamlin Organizations: Reuters, Hindenburg Research, Deloitte, JSW, Infrastructure, Deloitte Haskins, Securities and Exchange Board of India, JM Financial, Axis Bank, State Bank of India, HSBC, Credit Suisse, Thomson Locations: BENGALURU, Mumbai, Goa, Tamil Nadu, West, JSW

☆ Bangladesh struggles to pay for fuel imports as dollar crisis worsens -letters
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Ruma Paul | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

DHAKA, May 22 (Reuters) - Bangladesh is struggling to pay for imported fuel because of a dollar shortage, letters reviewed by Reuters show, with the state petroleum company owing more than $300 million as it faces an "alarming decrease in fuel reserves". Heavily reliant on energy imports, Bangladesh is grappling with power cuts resulting from a fuel shortage that have badly hurt its exports-oriented garments industry. BPC imports 500,000 tonnes of refined oil and 100,000 tonnes of crude oil every month. The April letter said several fuel suppliers had either sent fewer cargoes than scheduled or threatened to halt supplies. Others in South Asia, such as Sri Lanka and Pakistan, have also sought or received IMF funds this year.

☆ We expect 14% credit growth in the coming year, says State Bank of India
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailWe expect 14% credit growth in the coming year, says State Bank of IndiaDinesh Khara of the bank says it's hopeful because of infrastructure lending initiatives, among other things.

☆ India's banking system is resilient to U.S. banking stress, says State Bank of India's chairman
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

In this videoShare Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailIndia's banking system is resilient to U.S. banking stress, says State Bank of India's chairmanDinesh Kumar Khara, chairman of State Bank of India, discusses the characteristics that make India's banking system "structurally different" from some U.S. banks.

☆ Vietnam central bank plans loan restructuring for struggling businesses
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

HANOI, April 24 (Reuters) - Vietnam's central bank will restructure loans for some businesses facing difficulties, including delaying loan repayments, the government said, as it seeks to shore up a slowing economy. Several companies in Vietnam, a regional manufacturing hub, have been struggling amid weakening global demand, with exports falling 11.9% in the first quarter of this year. Vietnam's economic growth slowed to 3.32% in the January-March period, against a 5.92% year-on-year expansion in the fourth quarter of 2022. Chinh at a weekend meeting with the central bank also called for commercial banks to cut lending interest rates to support businesses and households. The central bank last month cut several policy rates to support growth amid global uncertainty.

The external financing is needed to fully fund the balance of payments gap for the fiscal year that ends in June. Last week Saudi Arabia also told the IMF it would provide financing of $2 billion to Pakistan. Dar has said Pakistan has given details of the scheme to the IMF, which has asked how it would it find the resources needed. The IMF program will disburse another tranche of $1.4 billion to Pakistan before it concludes in June. Reporting by Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam, writing by by Shilpa Jamkhandikar; editing by Sudipto GangulyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ HDFC Bank vs. SBI? This strategist names his favorite stock pick among Indian banks
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Ganesh Rao | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Despite the benefits of heavy deposit flows and strong deposit growth in a slow growth environment, State Bank of India (SBI) has seen its stock price fall year-to-date due to its controversial exposure to Adani. The consensus price target of all analysts compiled by FactSet also points toward 717 rupees a share, which represents a 36% upside. SBIN-IN HDFCBANK-IN 1Y line SBI shares are also traded over the counter in the U.S. and the London and Frankfurt stock exchanges. HDFC over SBI If taking a more constructive long-term view on Indian banks as a whole, Chadha prefers HDFC Bank over SBI because it is merging with HDFC — which he describes as having "huge implications" — creating an almost $300 billion financial behemoth. HDFC Bank shares are up 4% this year and analysts' price target points to a further 13% upside over the next 12 months.

☆ HDFC and HDFC Bank merger will have 'huge implications,' says wealth management firm
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailHDFC and HDFC Bank merger will have 'huge implications,' says wealth management firmGurmeet Chadha of Complete Circle discusses whether he prefers HDFC Bank or State Bank of India.

☆ India NSE's IPO plan stumbles at market watchdog's door - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Jayshree P Upadhyay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has formed an internal view that due to the pending cases it won't approve NSE's application made last year for an IPO, the sources said. “Till the legal and regulatory issues are cleared there is no chance that SEBI will approve NSE's IPO plans,” said one of the sources, who is a senior regulatory official. A delayed NSE IPO will test the patience of its core shareholders - banks, insurance companies and foreign funds - who have been waiting for an exit opportunity in rising markets. The regulator's reluctance to approve NSE's IPO has not been previously reported. These include whether certain brokers made unfair gains due to preferential access to NSE’s trading systems and another lapse in NSE’s trading architecture, the source said.

☆ Adani trumpets stable ties to global banks in bid to ease investor worries, document shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Aditya Kalra | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The document, which was reviewed by Reuters, did not elaborate on how the lenders reaffirmed their commitment to the Adani group. Adani group did not respond to a request for comment. Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc (MUFG) (8306.T), Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc's (8316.T) SMBC unit, Mizuho Financial Group (8411.T), Standard Chartered (STAN.L) and Deutsche Bank (DBKGn.DE) did not immediately respond. CONCERNS ABOUT DEBTThe Hindenburg report had sparked concern among investors about banks' exposures to the Adani group. Now, 39% of Adani's debt is currently in the form of bonds, 29% is from global banks and 32% comes from public or private banks in India, the Adani document added.

KARACHI, Pakistan, April 4 (Reuters) - Pakistan's central bank raised its key interest rate by 100 basis points to a record 21% on Tuesday, as the cash-strapped country stepped up its fight against soaring consumer prices. Investors polled by Reuters had expected an even-bigger rate hike of 200 basis point from the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), which is facing on consumer price inflation that hit a record annual level of just over 35% in March. Worldwide growth in consumer prices has compounded high inflation in Pakistan caused by a weakening currency, energy tariff increases and elevated food prices due to Ramadan. The SBP has hiked the key rate by cumulatively by 1025 bps since January 2022. In early March, the bank raised its key rate by 300 basis points to 20%, exceeding market expectations, likely to meet a key requirement of the IMF for release of bailout funds.

Eighteen out of 20 economists and market watchers surveyed said the central bank would hike rates, with 12 of them predicting a 200 bps increase. Two poll participants saw the benchmark raised by 100 bps, while four forecast a 150 bps hike. Worldwide growth in consumer prices has compounded high inflation in Pakistan caused by a weakening currency, energy tariff increases and elevated food prices due to Ramadan. The latest consumer price-based inflation clocked a 31.5% rise on year in February, the highest in nearly 50 years. The State Bank of Pakistan has raised rates by a total 10.25% since January 2022.

☆ Explainer: How resilient are Indian lenders amid a global banking turmoil?
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Siddhi Nayak | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

He does not foresee a direct impact of the global banking turmoil on Indian banks. HOW WELL CAPITALISED ARE INDIAN BANKS? Reuters GraphicsHOW ARE INDIAN BANKS' BOND PORTFOLIOS PERFORMING? Indian banks are not facing the same level of pressure on their bond portfolios as U.S banks because Indian interest rates have risen less. If Indian banks mark their held-to-maturity (HTM) investments to market, it would bring down their CET-1 capital by 12-25%, estimates Moody's Investors Service.

☆ Vietnam plans tighter limits on stakes in banks in blow to foreign investors
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Phuong Nguyen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Currently, the combined stake of foreign investors in a bank cannot exceed 30%, while the cap for stakes in companies in many other sectors is set at 49%. The central bank said its proposed changes would reduce risks of market manipulation. A Bangkok-based fund manager who declined to be named as he was not authorised to talk to media, said the lower cap would impact foreign investors more as their holdings were more often closer to the current maximum. Analysts said tighter caps on banks' stake holders and borrowing could exacerbate liquidity challenges in Vietnam, at a time when the country's property developers are under pressure. The central bank also cut interest rates this week to spur growth and reduce pressure on debtors.

One of the government officials directly involved in the matter said New Delhi is "not comfortable" with foreign trade settled in yuan but said settlement in "dirham is okay." The second official said that India cannot allow settlement in yuan till the relations between the two countries improve. The five officials did not say whether there were also economic reasons behind India's reluctance to accept yuan settlement. Two banking officials, aware of the matter, said the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is not keen on foreign trade settlement in yuan, and confirmed that the government has discouraged them from using the currency. They also said Russia was keen on yuan settlement as it helps them in purchases of goods from China.

Search resuls for: "State Bank of"

25 mentions found