Banker to Banks

Banking scenario has changed rapidly since 1990s. The decade of 90s has witnessed a sea change in the way banking is done in India. Technology has made tremendous impact in banking. ‘Anywhere banking’ and ‘Anytime banking’ have become a reality. The financial sector now operates in a more competitive environment than before and intermediates relatively large volume of international financial flows. In the wake of greater financial deregulation and global financial int

It gives me great pleasure to address this gathering at the 7th Annual Conference on Money and Finance in the Indian economy organised by the Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research (IGIDR). Issues related to monetary policy and financial sector continue to attract a lot of research interest all over the world and this is all the more true for emerging economies like India which are gradually integrating with the rest of the world. Accordingly, the initiatives

Governor Ishrat Husain and distinguished bankers,At the outset, let me express my gratitude to Governor Husain for inviting me to visit Karachi and meet with you. I consider it an honour to be here amidst the banking fraternity. I would like to congratulate Pakistan for its impressive economic performance. Governor Husain, in his address at the Seminar on Management of Pakistan Economy in Lahore, a few weeks ago, had this to say about recent economic performance of Pa

It gives me great pleasure to be in your midst today. A hundred years is, indeed, a landmark event in the history of an institution and as Corporation Bank celebrates its centenary, it joins the rank of the ‘venerables’. The establishment of the Corporation Bank with its humble beginnings in 1906 was during an eventful period in India’s economic history. It was a brave new era which saw a flurry of activity when a host of what were then termed ‘native’ banks were set

It gives me great pleasure to be here on the occasion of the first programme on "Human Development and State Finances" being jointly organised by the UNDP and the RBI with the support of the Planning Commission. The UNDP, ever since its inception in 1965, and the other UN organisations before that, have been actively involved in the development priorities of developing countries like ours over the last five decades. They have gained insights and understanding of our e

Corporate governance is increasingly demanding our attention and has moved centrestage. The Enron and WorldCom scandals in the U.S have amply demonstrated the necessity of having a system of corporate governance even in the developed world. In a liberalising and deregulating country like India, corporate governance is all the more important. In this context, it is indeed heartening to note that Bankers’ conference is devoting a full session on "corporate governance".

Let me at the outset commend the achievements of your bank in almost all the performance parameters. It is indeed heartening to see a well functioning and sound bank in the otherwise none too rosy co-operative sector. In fact, there could have been no better tribute to the memory of your great founder Sheth Shantaram Mangesh Kulkarni than to turn in a solid performance year after year, and also at the same time becoming a technologically savvy institution. I congratul

It is indeed a pleasure to be here in your midst today. To be amongst bright young students is not only energizing but also a learning experience - as we look at issues afresh and start by asking basic questions, which at some level are the most difficult. 2. The Reserve Bank has shared a very special relationship with the NIBM – it catalyzed its creation in 1969, provided the venue for its first campus and has been intimately associated with its functioning. While th

Ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to share my thoughts with you on a subject which is currently engaging the attention of the banking community, not just in India but worldwide. Let me first admit upfront that although I am at the moment wearing the regulator’s hat, yet I have been a commercial banker for most part of my professional career. So, the banker in me still goads me to put myself in bankers’ shoes before evaluating any regulatory options. I can better

Ladies and gentlemen of the Lions Club of Bombay, Thank you very much for giving me an opportunity to share my thoughts with you all. Only Lions would be courageous enough to listen to a talk on the subject of banking which is dry and devoid of any humour. But if you keep in mind that banks deal with your hard-earned savings, what I have to say may be of interest to you. 2. The Reserve Bank has been trying to discipline banks with regard to the quality of customer ser