Over the last several years’ internationally active banks have shifted from international banking to global banking. Some banks, rather than taking deposits in one jurisdiction and lending in other, have pursued the strategy of taking deposits and offering consumer loans, mortgages and corporate loans within a variety of national markets through a local presence. Other banks have pursued a capital market strategy, seeking to fund their portfolios of local securities locally as well. Whether adopting a globe consumer earlobe wholesale model, banks are increasingly looking to serve customers through a local presence funded locally. The ambition to build a ‘global’ (or multinational) bank so defined defers from that to build and international’ bank, define as a bank that takes deposits in one country and makes loans in another. Even after shifting to global banking, Country risk remains same. Although the most compressive time series evidence for the long term shift Continue reading
Indian Banking System
Indian Banking Sector Reforms: Licensing of New Banks in the Private Sector
Entry of New Banks in the Private Sector As per the guidelines for licensing of new banks in the private sector issued in January 1993, RBI had granted licenses to 10 banks. Based on a review of experience gained on the functioning of new private sector banks, revised guidelines were issued in January 2001. The main provisions/requirements are listed below: Initial minimum paid-up capital shall be Rs. 200 crore; this will be raised to Rs. 300 crore within three years of commencement of business. Promoters’ contribution shall be a minimum of 40 per cent of the paid-up capital of the bank at any point of time; their contribution of 40 per cent shall be locked in for 5 years from the date of licensing of the bank and excess stake above 40 per cent shall be diluted after one year of bank’s operations. Initial capital other than promoters’ contribution could Continue reading
Article on Indian Banking Sector: “The challenges that the banking sector in India faces”
It is by now well recognized that India is one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Evidence from across the world suggests that a sound and evolved banking system is required for sustained economic development. India has a better banking system in place vis a vis other developing countries, but there are several issues that need to be ironed out. In this article, we try and look into the challenges that the banking sector in India faces. Interest Rate Risk: Interest rate risk can be defined as exposure of bank’s net interest income to adverse movements in interest rates. A bank’s balance sheet consists mainly of rupee assets and liabilities. Any movement in domestic interest rate is the main source of interest rate risk. Over the last few years the treasury departments of banks have been responsible for a substantial part of profits made by banks. Between July Continue reading
Rural Banking in India
ECONOMICALLY empowering, i.e. access to inexpensive credit and other micro-finance services, including savings and insurance, India’s rural population will have a significant impact on India’s economic growth. Economic empowerment is defined here as. The modern banking system has failed to deliver inexpensive credit to India’s 600,000 villages – despite several expensive attempts to do so. Do we need to rethink the appropriate institutional structure for rural banking in India? The problems of widespread poverty, growing inequality, rapid population growth and rising unemployment all find their origins in the stagnation of economic life in rural areas. Since the days of the Rural Credit Survey Committee (1954), India has come a long way in its search for an appropriate rural banking set-up. Though there has been some improvement, the problem remains. There has been tremendous progress in quantitative terms but quality has suffered, progress has been slow and halting and significant Continue reading
Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)
What is Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)? Public key infrastructure (PKI) systems offer authentication in transactions. PKI is an information technology infrastructure that enables internet users to securely and privately exchange information through the use of a public and a private key pair that is obtained and shared through a trusted authority. The public key infrastructure provides for a digital certificate that can identify an individual or an organization and directory services that can store and, when necessary, revoke the certificates. A certificate is a digital document (i.e. a formatted file) that binds a public key to a person, application, or service. A trusted Certificate Authority (CA) creates the certificate and digitally signs it using the CA’s private key. Because of its role in creating certificates, the CA is the central component of the PKI. Using the CA’s public key, applications verify the issuing CA’s digital signature, and hence, the integrity Continue reading
Liquidity Risk in Banking
Liquidity planning is an important facet of risk management framework in banks. Liquidity is the ability to efficiently accommodate deposit and other liability decreases, as well as, fund loan portfolio growth and the possible funding of off-balance sheet claims. A bank has adequate liquidity when sufficient funds can be raised, either by increasing liabilities or converting assets, promptly and at a reasonable cost. It encompass the potential sale of liquid assets and borrowings from money, capital and Forex markets. Thus, liquidity should be considered as a defense mechanism from losses on fire sale of assets. Liquidity risk in banking is the potential inability of a bank to meet its payment obligations in a timely and cost effective manner. It arises when the bank is unable to generate cash to cope with a decline in deposits/liabilities or increase in assets. The cash flows are placed in different time buckets based on Continue reading