Core Insights - The aggregate net profit of state-owned, private, and small-finance banks increased by 2.5% to ₹1.92 lakh crore in the six months ending September, compared to ₹1.87 lakh crore in the same period last year [1][11] - Net Interest Income (NII) rose by approximately 2% to ₹4.36 lakh crore, while other income, including treasury gains and fee income, surged by 19% to ₹2.06 lakh crore [1][11] - The State Bank of India (SBI) reported a potential increase in Net Interest Margins (NIMs) from the current level of 3.09% if there are no rate cuts in December [1][11] Bank Performance - Private banks outperformed Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) banks, with aggregate net profits of ₹97,790 crore for private banks compared to ₹93,674 crore for PSU banks [4][11] - Small finance banks reported a net profit of ₹684 crore [5][11] Market Dynamics - Higher advances typically boost interest income; however, margins were compressed in the first half due to immediate drops in lending rates following policy easing, while deposit repricing lagged [7][11] - The Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) repo rate was reduced by 100 basis points since February, leading to a significant decline in lending rates [7][11] Loan and Deposit Trends - Gross advances increased by 11.3% to ₹197 lakh crore, driven by strong retail growth, while deposits rose by 10% to ₹236 lakh crore [9][11] - Stressed loans for all listed banks decreased, with gross non-performing loans down 10.3% to ₹4.11 lakh crore and net NPA reduced by 8% to ₹92,302 crore as of September 30 [8][11]

Core Insights - Retail investors in India demonstrated strong buying activity in the September 2025 quarter, investing over ₹18,000 crore across ten companies, indicating resilience amid market volatility [11] - The trend shows a shift in retail investor behavior, often acting contrarian to institutional investors, particularly in large-cap stocks [4][11] - Despite a decline in average stock prices of retail-heavy counters by 6.55%, the number of companies with rising retail participation exceeded 1,000, reflecting sustained interest [5][11] Retail Investment Trends - BSE Ltd attracted the highest retail inflow of ₹6,089 crore, followed by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) with ₹4,531 crore and Trent Ltd with ₹1,752 crore [11] - Retail investors were significant sellers in financial heavyweights, with HDFC Bank experiencing the largest outflow of ₹9,361 crore, followed by Adani Power and State Bank of India [11] - Retail ownership across NSE-listed companies stands at 7.43% by value and 16.38% by volume as of September 2025, highlighting their growing influence [3][11] Market Dynamics - The rise of domestic participation has reduced the share of foreign institutional investors (FIIs) to 16.7% of NSE companies by value, the lowest in 13 years [7][11] - Retail investors are particularly active in mid and small-cap segments, with retail ownership in these categories significantly higher than in Nifty-50 stocks [6][11] - The Q2FY26 earnings season revealed subdued trends in mass consumption but an uptick in select discretionary segments, with better-than-expected performance from metals, mining, and oil marketing companies [9][11] Analyst Perspectives - Analysts suggest a constructive market environment for long-term growth and quality investing, with a focus on domestic-oriented sectors such as consumption, domestic financials, healthcare, and telecom [10][11] - Caution is advised regarding IT, deep cyclicals, energy, and utilities sectors, reflecting a selective investment approach [10][11]

The Reserve Bank of India could consider approving bankers’ request to lower the provisioning requirement on stage-2 loans to 1-3 per cent from proposed 5 per cent under the draft expected credit loss (ECL) guidelines, sources say.Bankers, in their representation to the RBI, have requested to reconsider proposal of making 5 per cent provision for stage-2 assets as they currently make only 0.4 per cent provision for most standard and stressed assets (refer to table for details on provisioning floors). They ...

Market Performance - The BSE Sensex increased by 1,346.5 points, or 1.62 percent, while the NSE Nifty rose by 417.75 points, or 1.64 percent, indicating a strong market rebound after a recent phase of weakness [1][5]. Company Market Capitalization - Reliance Industries Ltd's market capitalization surged by Rs 54,941.84 crore, reaching Rs 20,55,379.61 crore, maintaining its position as the most valued company [2][5]. - Bharti Airtel's market capitalization increased by Rs 55,652.54 crore to Rs 11,96,700.84 crore, making it one of the biggest gainers [5]. - Tata Consultancy Services saw its market cap rise by Rs 40,757.75 crore to Rs 11,23,416.17 crore [5]. - ICICI Bank's market valuation climbed by Rs 20,834.35 crore to Rs 9,80,374.43 crore [5]. - State Bank of India's market capitalization rallied by Rs 10,522.9 crore to Rs 8,92,923.79 crore [5]. - Infosys advanced by Rs 10,448.32 crore to Rs 6,24,198.80 crore [5]. - HDFC Bank's market cap increased by Rs 9,149.13 crore to Rs 15,20,524.34 crore [5]. - Hindustan Unilever's market valuation rose by Rs 2,878.25 crore to Rs 5,70,187.06 crore [5]. - Conversely, Bajaj Finance's market cap declined by Rs 30,147.94 crore to Rs 6,33,573.38 crore, and Life Insurance Corporation of India's valuation fell by Rs 9,266.12 crore to Rs 5,75,100.42 crore [5]. Top Valued Companies - The combined market valuation of the top 10 most valued companies surged by Rs 2,05,185.08 crore last week, with Reliance Industries and Bharti Airtel being the largest contributors [5].

Market Valuation Overview - The combined market valuation of eight of the top 10 most valued companies increased by ₹2,05,185.08 crore last week, with Bharti Airtel and Reliance Industries being the largest gainers [1] - Reliance Industries retained its position as the most valued company, followed by HDFC Bank, Bharti Airtel, Tata Consultancy Services, ICICI Bank, State Bank of India, Bajaj Finance, Infosys, Life Insurance Corporation of India, and Hindustan Unilever [1] Individual Company Performance - Bharti Airtel's market capitalisation surged by ₹55,652.54 crore to ₹11,96,700.84 crore [2] - Reliance Industries Ltd's market valuation increased by ₹54,941.84 crore to ₹20,55,379.61 crore [2] - Tata Consultancy Services saw its market capitalisation rise by ₹40,757.75 crore to ₹11,23,416.17 crore [2] - ICICI Bank's market valuation climbed by ₹20,834.35 crore to ₹9,80,374.43 crore [2] - State Bank of India's market valuation rallied by ₹10,522.9 crore to ₹8,92,923.79 crore [2] - Infosys advanced by ₹10,448.32 crore to ₹6,24,198.80 crore [2] Declines in Market Valuation - Bajaj Finance experienced a decline in market capitalisation by ₹30,147.94 crore to ₹6,33,573.38 crore [4] - Life Insurance Corporation of India's market valuation decreased by ₹9,266.12 crore to ₹5,75,100.42 crore [4] Market Index Performance - The BSE Sensex appreciated by 1,346.5 points, or 1.62 percent, while the NSE Nifty rose by 417.75 points, or 1.64 percent [4] - The markets showed a strong rebound during the week, ending positively after a recent phase of weakness [4]

Core Insights - Indian banks are leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance customer experience, operational efficiency, and service scalability in the financial sector [1][3]. AI Implementation by Leading Banks - ICICI Bank utilizes iPal for conversational support aimed at retail and NRI customers [4]. - IDFC FIRST Bank has introduced an AI-powered holographic avatar to improve on-premise customer interactions [5]. - HDFC Bank employs EVA, an AI virtual assistant, for service and product discovery integrated with banking applications [6]. - Bank of Baroda features "Aditi," a GenAI relationship manager, providing multilingual support and operating 24/7 [7]. - SBI (State Bank of India) has revamped its YONO platform to incorporate a broader AI strategy and features [8]. - Axis Bank and IndusInd Bank offer IndusAssist, providing seamless AI service across various channels [9]. Market Context - India's banking sector serves over 1.4 billion people, managing crores of accounts and billions in daily transactions [11]. - AI technologies are essential for addressing the scale of operations, personalizing services, and ensuring 24/7 availability [11]. Performance Metrics - Over 8,200 branches of Bank of Baroda utilize AI-driven internal knowledge systems [12]. - HDFC's chatbot EVA has managed millions of queries, significantly reducing response times from minutes to seconds [12]. - The introduction of holographic avatars and multilingual support is enhancing accessibility and personalization in banking services [12].

SBI to discontinue mCASH service after November 30, 2025: Here’s how customers can send money to third-party beneficiaries after thatWhich Post Office small savings schemes offer higher interest rates than FDs of many leading banks?Post Office small savings schemes are offering better returns than many leading banks’ fixed deposit schemes. Post office scheme interest rates are revised every quarter by the government. At present, below-mentioned post office schemes are offering 7% and above interest rates.In ...

What did the The PIB Fact Check team confirmed that this claim is true and the RBI had directed all banks to migrate their existing web domains to the new ‘.bank.in’ domain by October 31, 2025.The Central Bank issued these instructions to all banks in a circular dated April 22, 2025..As per the PIB Fact Check’s social media post on X (formerly known as Twitter), “The Indian National Internet Exchange (NIXI), operating under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), has appointed the I ...

Core Insights - The reassessment of large banks in India indicates a positive outlook driven by macroeconomic tailwinds and improving financial metrics [1][7] - Analysts expect corporate loan book growth and retail loan expansion to significantly enhance the valuation outlook for top lenders [1][7] Banking Sector Performance - HDFC Bank's net interest margin (NIM) is believed to have bottomed out, with projections of a core pre-provision operating profit (PPOP) CAGR of approximately 19% from FY26 to FY28, compared to 9% for FY26 alone [4][8] - Morgan Stanley maintains an 'Overweight' rating on ICICI Bank with a target price of Rs 1,800, citing strong deposit growth and a 3% QoQ increase in loan growth, primarily from the retail segment [5][8] - Citi has re-initiated coverage on State Bank of India (SBI) with a 'Buy' rating and a target price of Rs 1,050, based on strong credit growth visibility and operational efficiencies [5][8] Loan Growth Projections - For FY26–FY27E, Citi projects SBI's loan growth to be between 13% and 14% annually, with NIMs expected to be in the range of 2.8% to 2.9% and credit costs at 40–45 basis points [6][8] - Analysts believe that the combination of favorable macroeconomic trends and improved earnings visibility will support a constructive stance on India's leading banks [7][8]

Core Point - The case revolves around Smt Sharma, who faced unjust bounce charges from SBI despite maintaining sufficient funds in her account, leading to a ruling in her favor by the Delhi State Consumer Commission [18][19]. Group 1: Background of the Case - Smt Sharma took a car loan of Rs 2.6 lakh from HDFC Bank on April 15, 2008, and authorized SBI to deduct her monthly EMI of Rs 7,054 through ECS from her savings account [3][4]. - A total of 11 EMI payments bounced, resulting in charges of Rs 4,400, with three due to insufficient funds and eight labeled as "not valid" [5][18]. Group 2: Legal Proceedings - After SBI declined to refund the bounce charges, Sharma filed a complaint with the district consumer commission in 2010, which was dismissed, prompting her to escalate the matter to the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) [2][7]. - The NCDRC remanded the case back to the Delhi State Consumer Commission, which ultimately ruled in favor of Sharma on October 9, 2025 [18][19]. Group 3: Findings of the Delhi State Consumer Commission - The Commission found that SBI's argument regarding incorrect ECS mandate details was implausible, as some EMIs were successfully cleared under the same mandate [12][16]. - SBI failed to provide evidence to support its claims of insufficient funds or incorrect ECS details, leading to a conclusion of deficiency in service on SBI's part [11][14][16]. Group 4: Compensation Awarded - The Delhi State Consumer Commission ordered SBI to pay Rs 1.7 lakh to Sharma, which includes Rs 1.5 lakh for mental agony and Rs 20,000 for litigation costs, to be paid within three months [19].