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The Banking Frontline 23 July 2026

Issue: 1277


·    Centre appoints Madhya Pradesh cadre IAS officer Anurag Jain as NITI Aayog CEO.

·    Godrej Capital enters gold loan business with Kanakadurga Finance acquisition.

·    Purple Finance to acquire Saksham Gram Credit for rural expansion.

·    InsuranceDekho enters cricket sponsorship with India's Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka tours.

·    S&P raises Pakistan's sovereign rating to 'B'.

·    Govt aims to double food processing to 25% over 5 years.

·    RBI net sells $6 billion in spot forex market in May amid volatility.

·    Bandhan Bank shares plunge nearly 17% after lender cuts RoA guidance.


India holds growth momentum as global economy grapples with uncertainty: RBI Bulletin: India has remained one of the world's fastest-growing major economies, despite an uncertain global economic environment, and has sustained momentum in economic activity through June, according to the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) latest Bulletin. The central bank said the global economy continues to face challenges from supply chain disruptions, fragmented trading relationships and geopolitical uncertainties. Even so, India's industrial and services sectors have remained resilient. "Amidst these uncertainties, India remains among the fastest growing major economies across the globe and has been able to sustain the momentum in economic activities through June," the RBI said in the Bulletin.

(Moneycontrol)

Borrowing costs in bond market may rise as upside risks to India's 10-year bond yield persist: BoB Report:  Expect an uptick in borrowing costs within India's bond market as uncertainties loom large. The 10-year government bond yield remains under pressure from upside risks. Non-Banking Financial Companies are facing steepest borrowing premiums, outpacing corporate borrowers, who are themselves grappling with increased spreads over public sector counterparts. This environment of macroeconomic unpredictability, along with higher bond yields, could lead to even steeper borrowing rates.

(Economic Times)

RBI sold $6.1 bn in May as oil weighed on the rupee: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) was a net seller of $6.1 billion in the foreign exchange market in May, data released on Wednesday showed, as heightened volatility in global energy markets and geopolitical tensions weighed on emerging-market currencies, including the rupee. The central bank purchased $22.2 billion and sold $28.3 billion during the month, resulting in a net sale of $6.104 billion, according to the RBI's July Bulletin. In April, the RBI had sold a net $8.944 billion in the forex market.

(Economic Times)


IndusInd Bank Q1 results: Net profit rises 47% to Rs 1,003 crore, asset quality improves: IndusInd Bank on July 22 reported 47% jump in standalone net profit at Rs 1,003 crore for the quarter ended June 30, 2026, helped by a drop in funds set aside for potential bad loans. It reported standalone net profit of Rs 684 crore in the year-ago period. Gross NPA and Net NPA ratios were at 3.25% and 0.95% in Q1FY27 as compared to 3.64% and 1.12%, respectively, in Q1FY26. Net Interest Income (NII) in Q1 FY27 is at Rs 4,685 crore as compared to Rs 4,640 crore in Q1FY26, a rise of 1%. Net interest margin was at 3.57% for Q1FY27 as compared to 3.46% for Q1FY26.

(Moneycontrol)

New norms lift banks’ liquidity coverage ratio in Q1: The new liquidity coverage ratio (LCR) norms that took effect in April have helped banks improve their ratio as well as freed up liquidity to support credit growth at a time when deposit growth is lagging. Under the revised norms, deposits from non-financial entities such as trusts (educational, charitable and religious), partnerships and limited liability partnerships (LLPs) now carry a lower run-off factor of 40%, compared with 100% earlier. The run-off factor indicates the likelihood of deposits being withdrawn from a bank. A higher run-off factor requires banks to hold more high-quality liquid assets (HQLA), mainly government securities, that can be quickly liquidated during periods of financial stress.

(Financial Express)

Foreign banks show strongest rate transmission in current RBI easing cycle: Bulletin: Foreign banks have exhibited the strongest transmission of the Reserve Bank of India's policy easing during the current rate-cut cycle, lowering both lending and deposit rates more sharply than their public and private sector peers, according to the RBI's bulletin. In its monthly bulletin released on Wednesday, the RBI said that during the easing cycle between February 2025 and May 2026, scheduled commercial banks (SCBs) reduced repo-linked external benchmark-based lending rates (EBLR) and marginal cost of funds-based lending rates (MCLR), with pass-through to fresh lending rates remaining particularly strong in infrastructure and other EBLR-mandated sectors. The bulletin showed that foreign banks cut weighted average lending rates (WALR) on fresh rupee loans by 1.24 percentage point, compared with 1.08 percentage point by private banks and 0.66 per cent by public sector banks.

(Economic Times)

Punjab National Bank eyes ambitious target to break into world's top 100: Punjab National Bank is setting its sights on breaking into the elite group of the world's top 100 lenders in the near future. With a significant surge in net profit reported last quarter, the bank is optimistic about accelerating credit growth and diversifying its business interests. Plans include launching wealth management and acquisition finance services, as well as pursuing foreign-currency deposits through a central bank facility.

(Economic Times)

No proposal to utilise unclaimed LIC, EPFO funds for other purposes: Govt: Unclaimed insurance funds over ten years go to the Senior Citizen Welfare Fund. Life Insurance Corporation of India holds unclaimed amounts totaling over seven thousand crore rupees. Inoperative Employees Provident Fund accounts contained over nine thousand crore rupees as of March 2026. Both LIC and EPFO are actively working to locate beneficiaries and settle pending claims. Pilot projects are underway for automatic settlement of smaller inoperative EPF accounts.

(Economic Times)


EAM Jaishankar, Rubio discuss India-US trade deal, tariffs in Manila: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Manila to discuss the proposed India-US trade deal, tariffs and other key bilateral issues. The meeting, held on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and Quad foreign ministers’ meetings, came hours after US President Donald Trump threatened steep tariffs on generic medicines, raising concerns among Indian drugmakers. After the meeting, Jaishankar said in a social media post that their discussion “focused on areas which are priority” for the India-US comprehensive global strategic partnership, “including trade and tariffs, energy, defence and security, critical minerals and artificial intelligence.”.

(Business Standard)

Markets fall for third day as crude surge dents investor sentiment: Benchmark equity indices fell for the third consecutive session on Wednesday as higher crude oil prices triggered broad-based selling in the market. The indices recorded their biggest single-day decline in two weeks, pushing the Nifty 50 below the 24,000 mark.  The BSE Sensex fell 715.06 points, or 0.92 per cent, to close at 76,755.05, while the NSE Nifty 50 dropped 191.45 points, or 0.79 per cent, to end at 23,996.25. Brent crude climbed above $94 a barrel during the day as the US-Iran conflict intensified and attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels disrupted key shipping routes, raising concerns over global oil supplies.

(Business Standard)

HCLTech likely to build its first India data centre in Odisha's Bhubaneswar: Leading IT services company HCL Technologies Ltd (HCLTech) has proposed to establish an artificial intelligence (AI)-optimised data centre along with a global development centre (GDC) in Bhubaneswar with an investment of around Rs.730 crore. The proposed facility assumes significance as it could become HCLTech's first owned data centre in India. While the company has long offered data centre-related services, including infrastructure management, Cloud transformation and managed services for global clients, it did not have its own data centre business.

(Business Standard)


SEBI, IFSCA-recognised Category I and II AIFs exempted from PAN requirement: For expeditious onboarding of foreign investors, the Central Board of Direct Taxes has amended the Income Tax rules to exempt various categories of Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs), including those located in International Financial Services Centres, from the requirement of a PAN. Experts say this move will also ensure continuity of reforms for foreign investors. Category I AIFs invest in start-up or early-stage ventures, social ventures or SMEs, infrastructure or other sectors or areas which the government or regulators consider as socially or economically desirable. These include venture capital funds, SME Funds, social venture funds, and infrastructure funds. AIFs which do not fall in Category I and III and which do not undertake leverage or borrow other than to meet day-to-day operational requirements. Category III AIFs are those that employ diverse or complex trading strategies and may use leverage, including through investments in listed or unlisted derivatives.

(Business Line)

Unified digital platform for insolvency on the anvil: The insolvency framework is all set for its biggest tech overhaul since inception with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) releasing a blueprint for the Integrated Platform for Insolvency Ecosystem (iPIE). This will be a single digital platform connecting various authorities like NCLT, NCLAT, Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI), MCA, and stakeholders such as information utility (IU), insolvency professionals (IPs), lenders, valuers and bidders. This platform will replace the current fragmented workflow with an end-to-end digital process that will reduce duplication, speed up decision-making and provide a common source of truth across the insolvency ecosystem.

(Financial Express)

NRI deposit inflows fall 29% to $1.33 billion in April-May 2026: RBI: The flow of money from overseas Indians into NRI deposit schemes dropped 29.25 per cent to $1.33 billion in the April-May period of FY27, from $1.88 billion in the corresponding period of FY26, according to RBI data. The total outstanding NRI deposits stood at $165.96 billion as of the end of May 2026. Outstanding NRI deposits were $166.72 billion in May 2025 and $165.59 billion in April 2026. During the April-May period of FY27, inflows into FCNR(B) deposits dropped to $282 million, compared with $442 million in the corresponding period a year ago.

(Business Standard)


Economic Value Added (EVA)

Ø Economic Value Added (EVA) is a financial performance metric that measures the true economic profit generated by a business after accounting for the cost of all capital employed, including equity and debt. Unlike traditional profit measures, EVA assesses whether a company has created value beyond the returns expected by its investors.

Ø It is calculated as Net Operating Profit After Tax (NOPAT) minus the Capital Charge (Capital Employed × Weighted Average Cost of Capital). A positive EVA indicates that the company is generating returns above its cost of capital, while a negative EVA suggests value destruction. Many organizations use EVA for strategic decision-making, capital allocation, performance evaluation, and executive compensation because it aligns managerial actions with shareholder wealth maximization.


RBI KEY RATES

Repo Rate: 5.25%

SDF: 5.00%

MSF /Bank Rate: 5.50%

CRR: 3.00%

SLR: 18.00%

FOREX RATES (RBI REF. RATE)

INR / 1 USD : 96.4745

INR / 1 GBP : 129.1250

INR / 1 EUR : 110.0867

INR /100 JPY: 59.1500

EQUITY INDEX

Sensex: 76755.05 (-715.06)

NIFTY: 23996.25 (-191.45)

Bnk NIFTY: 57126.80 (-708.55)


National Broadcasting Day: July 23 is widely celebrated in India as National Broadcasting Day, commemorating the first-ever radio broadcast in the country made by the Indian Broadcasting Company in 1927.

Historical events: July 23 is a pivotal date in history, marked by the births of legendary Indian freedom fighters Bal Gangadhar Tilak in 1856 and Chandra Shekhar Azad in 1906. Globally, it is celebrated as National Broadcasting Day in India and is also the day in 1829 when the typographer—a precursor to the typewriter—was patented in the United States.

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