INDIA INTELLIGENCE REPORT

 

Business & Economy

More foreign banks coming

What is India News Service, Tuesday, 8 March 2005, 1700 hrs IST

An increasing number of foreign banks are now keen on opening shop in India to be able gain a critical mass by April 2009, when private banking space is expected to open up for the foreign players. 

The latest addition to the list of foreign banks wishing to set foot in India is the Royal Bank of Scotland, which has total assets of over $806 billion. 

The sudden interest in India follows the Reserve Bank of India\92s roadmap for according foreign banks greater freedom in India. 

Switzerland\92s UBS, ranked the world\92s best private bank by EuroMoney magazine, has been preparing itself for India launch. Merrill Lynch and Goldman Sachs too are believed to be showing interest. 

It is not known whether they will go alone or partner with an Indian entity in the new venture. Some of the new players are targeting the derivatives market to grow in India. The huge retail space is also an enticing factor. 

Merrill Lynch has a joint venture in Indian investment banking space \97 DSP Merrill Lynch. Goldman Sachs holds stakes in Kotak Mahindra arms. 

US-based GE Capital last week announced its intention to set up a bank last week soon after the banking sector roadmap was unveiled. It already has wide presence in consumer finance through GE Capital India. 


Tata Motors rolls out fully built buses: Tata Motors expects to treble its chassis and bus-body building business to $1 billion over the next few years.

Postal department is quietly carrying away courier biz: As corporates increasingly realise that \91Old is Gold', one organisation that stands to benefit, believe it or not, is the postal department.

Now, online investments for postal schemes: ICICIdirect.com, the online share trading platform belonging to the ICICI Bank group, has made online investments in postal saving schemes possible to its customers.

Enough in forex kitty to manage oil imports, says Aiyar: The Union Petroleum Minister, Mani Shankar Aiyar, today expressed the hope that the unprecedented rise in crude oil prices would stabilise soon with the coming in place of the new U.S. administration.

Infocomm pays Rs 150 crore over call routing: Reliance Infocomm on Monday paid Rs 150 crore as penalty to the government for illegally routing international incoming calls as local within two days of TDSAT rejecting the telecom operator\92s petition challenging the penalty.

Education outsourcing wave set to hit India: Skilled manpower in India is a major attraction for foreign entrepreneurs to set up operations here. Now, Indian entrepreneurs are latching on to the very people who give India its skilled manpower - namely, skilled teachers.

Five traditional items propel export growth: Just five traditional items accounting for almost three-fourth of the country's aggregate exports played a dominant part in propelling the export growth to 28.12 per cent in dollar terms during the first seven months of the current fiscal. 

Toyota to expand network in India: Toyota Kirloskar Motors plans to expand its network in the country with \91Innova,' its first 3-row passenger car.

Sensex touches 6900-mark: The BSE benchmark 30-share index crossed the 6900 mark for the first time, in intra-day trading today. However, it settled below the new levels following profit taking.

Emami chalks out \91Focus Andhra' strategy:: Kolkata-based Emami Ltd, a provider of personal and healthcare products has devised a new strategy.




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