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<keyword id="19895282" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="mumbai" source="keywords">Mumbai</keyword>, India's forex reserves increased by USD 6.396 billion to USD 642.492 billion for the week ended March 15, the <keyword id="19922074" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="reserve-bank" source="keywords">Reserve Bank</keyword> said on Friday. In the previous reporting week, the overall reserves had risen by USD 10.47 billion to USD 636.095 billion. In October 2021, the country's forex kitty had reached an all-time high of USD 645 billion. The reserves took a hit as the central bank deployed the kitty to defend the rupee amid pressures caused majorly by global developments since last year. For the week ended March 15, the foreign currency assets, a major component of the reserves, increased by USD 6.034 billion to USD 568.386 billion, the data showed. Expressed in dollar terms, the foreign currency assets include the effect of appreciation or depreciation of non-US units like the euro, pound and yen held in the foreign exchange reserves. Gold reserves increased by USD 425 million to USD 51.14 billion during the week, the <keyword id="19899808" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="rbi" source="keywords">RBI</keyword> said. The Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) were up by USD 65 million to USD 18.276 billion, the <keyword id="20097680" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="apex-bank" source="keywords">apex bank</keyword> said. India's reserve position with the IMF was down by USD 129 million to USD 4.689 billion in the reporting week, the <keyword id="20883994" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="apex-bank-data" source="keywords">apex bank data</keyword> showed.

India's forex kitty rises by $6.40 billion to $642.50 billion

<keyword id="19913110" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Shaktikanta-Das" source="keywords">Shaktikanta Das</keyword>, the Governor of <keyword id="19899810" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Reserve-Bank-of-India" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Reserve Bank of India" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Reserve Bank of India">Reserve Bank of India</keyword> (RBI), on October 26, received award for A+ grade in <keyword id="23702898" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Central-Bank-Report-Cards" source="keywords">Central Bank Report Cards</keyword> 2024, for the second consecutive year. The award, presented by <keyword id="22224722" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Global-Finance" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Global Finance" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Global Finance">Global Finance</keyword> in <keyword id="21459434" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Washington-D-C-" source="keywords">Washington D.C.</keyword>, USA, recognised RBI Governor's excellent performance and effective leadership in steering India's apex bank through complex economic challenges. In a social media post on X, RBI posted, "Governor @DasShaktikanta received the award for A+ grade in Central Bank Report Cards 2024, for the second consecutive year. Presented by Global Finance at an event held today in Washington DC, USA." The Central Bank Report Cards, published annually by Global Finance since 1994, grade the central bank governors of nearly 100 key countries, territories, and districts, as well as the European Union, the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, the Bank of Central African States and the Central Bank of West African States. Grades are based on an "A+" to "F" scale for success in areas such as inflation control, economic growth goals, currency stability and interest rate management. "A" represents an excellent performance, down through "F" for outright failure. Along with Das, Denmark's Christian Kettel Thomsen and Switzerland's Thomas Jordan were also accorded an A+ grade. Brazil's Roberto Campos Neto, Chile's Rosanna Costa, Harvesh Kumar Seegolam of Mauritius, Morocco's Abdellatif Jouahri, South Africa's Lesetja Kganyago and Sri Lanka's Nadalal Weerasinghe were amongst those who received the <keyword id="22446364" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="A-grade" source="keywords">A grade</keyword>. European Union's Christine Lagarde was given an A- grade. "After a difficult 2023, when geopolitical pressures gathered with tight monetary conditions to create a near-stagflationary environment in the eurozone, the central bank has managed to inch much closer to its 2% target with successive consumer price index (CPI) readings under 3% since February of this year, down to 2.4% in August", Global Finance noted on Lagarde's tenure. <keyword id="19951097" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="US-Fed" source="keywords">US Fed</keyword> Chairman Jerome Hayden Powell received an A- grade. Per the Global Finance website, "The Fed has debated in excruciating, and at times confusing, detail throughout this year when and whether to cut its benchmark rate from a 23-year high of 5.5%, a level held since July 2023. This September, the Fed finally turned the monetary ship toward a policy of easing, with a 50-basis point cut, which was at the higher end of forecasts." "Prior to the rate cut, economists agreed that confusion in the markets was a case of bad communication by the Fed, but Powell’s overall handling of policy has been praised. It is difficult to find much fault with the Fed’s approach to policymaking over the past year. The Fed has appropriately changed its tone in response", it continued. However, it also noted that more-substantial easing in the following months will be crucial to avoid a policy mistake and to secure Powell’s legacy. Powell's term as second-time chair of the Fed Reserve ends on May 15, 2026.

Shaktikanta Das receives award for A+ grade in Central Bank Report Cards 2024 in USA

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Goldman Sachs named 95 partners last week, including private wealth exec Brittany Boals Moeller.</li><li>The 39-year-old runs the Southeast region and leads strategy for young and women clients.</li></ul>Brittany Boals Moeller, one of Goldman Sachs' newly minted partners, didn't picture a career in finance when she joined the bank 17 years ago. She grew up in Jonesboro, Arkansas, where her parents were professors at the local university. After graduating from New York University in 2007, she thought she would work at Goldman Sachs for a few years to save up for graduate school, perhaps to study public policy or become a lawyer. But even when the financial crisis hit, which was an opportune time to go back to school, she didn't want to leave."At Goldman, you are given tremendous responsibility and opportunity young in your career if you prove yourself able," she told Business Insider in an interview. "I've never once been bored, and so it's an easy choice to stay."The 39-year-old is based in Atlanta and runs the Southeast region of Goldman Sach's private wealth division. While wealth management clients skew older, the division has a pipeline of rich millennial founders who work with the investment banking arm. Boals Moeller said these clients in their 30s and 40s are more likely to want more than investment advice, desiring services like concierge healthcare and bill pay that make their lives easier. To keep these clients loyal, she leads an initiative to cater to younger clients, including heirs and self-made entrepreneurs, and another that focuses on women customers."They're busy. They want simplicity. They need good people around them to help," she said.During the dealmaking drought, the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/goldman-sachs-private-wealth-management-asset-david-solomon-2023-1">wealth management</a> business gained new prominence. "Quite frankly, private wealth management at Goldman Sachs has never been as much of a focus for the firm as it is today," division cohead John Mallory told BI in 2023.Boals Moeller said the business's current stature is the result of investments more than a decade in the making. She served as chief of staff to wealth management head Tucker York during the financial crisis. Around 2010, she embarked on a listening tour of every wealth office. The advisor feedback led to the bank expanding its offerings beyond investment and tax planning advice."We knew this going way back, and it certainly continues today, which is we are not purely an investment solution for our clients," she said. "Investments are critical and core to our work, but increasingly we're seeing that with the next generation of wealth owners today, they are seeking simplicity and solutions in all aspects of their life."Goldman Sachs' family office offering, Apex, launched a few years later. Now, the division offers chief financial officer services to help clients with not just estate planning but also lifestyle services like cybersecurity.Catering to these younger clients, whether they are old-money heirs or startup founders celebrating their first windfall, requires meeting them where they are. That usually isn't over a steak and martini lunch or 18 holes at the golf course. What entices these clients more, Boals Moeller said, is getting to meet like-minded people.Goldman Sachs holds events and conferences, often with star-studded lineups or in scenic locales. In August, Boals Moeller hosted a reception in Atlanta with singer Ciara and Marc-Kwesi Farrell, the founder of a rum brand that provided custom cocktails. In October 2023, Goldman Sachs hosted a conference in Deer Valley where billionaire Patrón founder John Paul DeJoria talked about keeping a business empire in the family. Sustainability and sports are particularly interesting to this demographic, with Goldman Sachs hosting a tour of a waste-to-clean-energy power plant in Copenhagen and bringing in Michelle Hynik, president of women's football club Utah Royals, to the Deer Valley summit.Advisors also introduce clients to each other when appropriate, such as a pre-IPO founder to an entrepreneur who has already been through the process."A lot of effort is put into helping people not only just manage the risk and obviously the investment side of things, but also the broader piece, which is how do we help you have an amazing corporate outcome from the sale of your business, and how do we help you as a family appropriately prepare for that?" she said.Advisors can meet with families one-on-one for financial education. However, many of these millennial and Gen-Z clients prefer digital education on their own time. Goldman Sachs has courses for children of clients as early as 15 years old. This Semester at GS program has six one-hour sessions that span trading talks from executives in global markets as well as personal finance topics like how to think about a credit score. These virtual sessions are cameras off, Boals Moeller notes."You don't have to be at a desk," she said. "It's not another hour of homework."

This new Goldman Sachs partner is leading the bank's strategy with young heirs and founders

Mumbai, <keyword id="19895063" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="india" source="keywords">India</keyword>'s forex reserves jumped USD 1.634 billion to USD 618.937 billion for the week ended January 12, the <keyword id="19899810" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="reserve-bank-of-india" source="keywords">Reserve Bank of India</keyword> (<keyword id="19899808" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="rbi" source="keywords">RBI</keyword>) said on Friday. In the previous reporting week, the overall reserves had declined sharply by USD 5.89 billion to USD 617.3 billion. The country's forex kitty had reached an all-time high of USD 645 billion in October 2021. The reserves took a hit as the central bank deployed the kitty to defend the rupee amid pressures caused majorly by global developments since last year. For the week ended January 12, the foreign currency assets -- a major component of the reserves -- increased USD 1.859 billion to USD 548.508 billion, the data said. Expressed in dollar terms, the foreign currency assets include the effect of appreciation or depreciation of non-US units like the euro, pound, and yen held in the foreign exchange reserves. Gold reserves were down USD 242 million to USD 47.247 billion during the week, the RBI said. The Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) were up USD 12 million to USD 18.31 billion, the <keyword id="20097680" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="apex-bank" source="keywords">apex bank</keyword> said. India's reserve position with the IMF increased USD 6 million to USD 4.872 billion in the reporting week, the RBI data added.

Forex reserves jump $1.63 billion to $618.9 billion

On Thursday, the <keyword id="19899810" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Reserve-Bank-of-India" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Reserve Bank of India" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Reserve Bank of India">Reserve Bank of India</keyword> (<keyword id="19899808" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="RBI" source="keywords">RBI</keyword>) sought action against four non-banking financial companies (<keyword id="19938300" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="NBFCs" source="keywords">NBFCs</keyword>), barring them from making new loan sanctions and disbursements, effective October 21, 2024. A report by <keyword id="19977638" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Morgan-Stanley" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Morgan Stanley" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Morgan Stanley">Morgan Stanley</keyword> suggests that more lending companies might face similar scrutiny in the coming days. As named by the RBI in its order yesterday, <keyword id="20146314" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Asirvad-Microfinance" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Asirvad Microfinance" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Asirvad Microfinance">Asirvad Microfinance</keyword>, Arohan Financial Services, DMI Finance, and Navi Finserv failed to adhere to the <keyword id="21471399" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Fair-Practices-Code" source="keywords">Fair Practices Code</keyword> and did not properly assess borrower's income and repayment capacities before disbursing loans, especially when it came to their microfinance loans. Additionally, these companies also resorted to dubious asset classifications and incomplete interest rate and fee disclosures, which in turn led to alarming practices like loan evergreening and more. RBI also found that the weighted average lending rate (WALR) and the interest spread charged over their cost of funds by these NBFCs were over the stipulated norms. Earlier this month, the apex had already issued a stern warning to the NBFC sector, discouraging them from pursuing aggressive loan book expansion at the cost of regulations and fair practices. Per the bank, it would be ideal if NBFCs self-corrected their ways and refrained from giving incentives and fixed targets to their employees for granting loans. As for these four NBFCs, RBI flagged significant deviations with respect to Income Recognition and Asset Classification (IR&amp;AC) norms in their functioning and gross mismanagement of their gold loan portfolios. As RBI noted, these NBFCs had outsourced several of their core financial services as well. The restrictions on these 4 NBFCs will be effective at the close of business as of October 21, 2024. But this will not affect the existing, active loans of the companies. Also, loan collection and recovery processes will also continue in line with existing guidelines. However, Morgan Stanley, in a recent report, has questioned this move, asking whether lending rates alone were the cause for concern by RBI against specified NBFCs or whether broader issues are at play. "Based on an observation of lending rate data collated and presented by MFIN (the industry body for microfinance lenders), we note that Asirvad Microfinance's lending rates are not very different from other lenders," the report said. The report also observes that more regulatory action might follow in the sector, but the intention here was not to shut down new lending by <keyword id="21739781" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="microfinance-institutions" source="keywords">microfinance institutions</keyword> and NBFCs entirely. RBI's restrictions will stay in place until these NBFCs show that they have fully aligned their practices with regulatory guidelines. In response, Navi Finserv Limited has noted that it is committed to conducting its business operations with the highest standards of compliance, customer service, and transparency. "The company is reviewing the directions received from the Hon’ble Reserve Bank of India and will work with them and address all the concerns raised with promptness and completeness," it further added.

Reserve Bank may act against more NBFCs to keep obscure lending practices in check, says Morgan Stanley

On September 18, 2024, the US <keyword id="19900043" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="fed" source="keywords">Fed</keyword> delivered a jumbo-sized surprise to the global economy. Not only did they trim their interest rates by a massive 50 basis points to bring their yields down to 5%, but also hinted at further rate cuts in the upcoming months. This move from the fed and several other central banks globally had pushed expectations high for a similar rate slash closer home, from the <keyword id="19899808" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="rbi" source="keywords">RBI</keyword> this month. But governor <keyword id="19913110" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="shaktikanta-das" source="keywords">Shaktikanta Das</keyword>, in a “picture abhi baaki hai” moment, decided to hold the repo rates here steady, leaving them unchanged at 6.5% for the record 10th straight time. Although, he did tinker with the policy stand, changing it from “rate cuts are absolutely off the table” to a more accommodating “we’re okay with bringing down the rates, if needed”. This, rather neutral, stance from India’s financial custodian sparked hopes for a rate cut in December this year. However, the stubborn inflation levels in September have again dented such hopes. As consumers, you may be wondering what all the hullabaloo this is about, since it hardly makes a difference to your regular financial routine. Well, the majority of both economic growth and inflation is closely connected to this policy stance from the central bank and it does have a rather indirect effect on both our earnings and spending. But more directly, it would have clear implications for those looking to own a house. Even the slightest modification of interest rates, or the lack of it, influences the <keyword id="19916018" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="emi" source="keywords">EMI</keyword> you pay significantly. So, all aspiring homebuyers, is this the right time to take out a loan and buy a house? Can you expect a rate cut anytime soon, and what will that mean for your home-owning dreams? We lay it out. <h2>What’s the connection?</h2>You see, buying a house is no small feat, at least financially. The task becomes even more herculean if you are scouting for your own roof in cities like Delhi, Noida, Bangalore or Mumbai where, as Circuit from Munnabhai says, “room shuru hote hi khatam ho jata hai”. Naturally, you’ll have to take a <keyword id="6354730" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="home-loan" source="Orion">home loan</keyword> from the bank. Don’t be mistaken, the bank won't give you a loan that covers 100% of the value of the property you want to own. Rather, your loan amount will be equivalent to a certain percentage of the property’s total value. RBI’s guidelines on this are pretty clear: <ul><li>If your loan amount is up to Rs 30 lakh, you can get a loan worth 90% of the property’s value.</li></ul><ul><li>If the loan amount is between Rs 30 lakh and Rs 75 lakh, you are eligible for a loan worth 80% of the property’s value.</li><li>If you are taking a loan of more than Rs 75 lakh, your loan amount will be equivalent to 70% of the property’s value.</li></ul>Now assuming that you have the money, it's all about paying back the principal amount, but not without a little (read hefty) interest added on top. See, when you’re taking a home loan, you are actually signing up for a long-term, even multi-decadal financial commitment, which will unfailingly present itself to your bank accounts and finances every single month, in the form of EMIs, or equated monthly instalments). When you take a home loan, you can choose to pay the interest in two ways (talk about choices!). One is that you decide to keep a fixed rate of interest throughout the tenure of your home loan. So, if you opt for a 25-year fixed-rate home loan at the rate of 8.8% p.a., you’ll have to pay interest at this rate for the next 25 years, till your entire loan is paid off. Yes, you can go backsies and switch to a floating-rate home loan by paying a fee. Floating, as the name suggests, means that your interest rate is not set in stone. But starting October 2019, when it comes to a floating interest rate home loan, your payable interest and EMIs are directly impacted by any changes in <keyword id="20094323" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="repo-rate" source="keywords">repo rate</keyword>, which were left unchanged by RBI this time around. Why are these two so chummy, you might ask. Well, home loan interest rates are a sum of two things: <ol><li>Repo Rate (the rate at which RBI lends money to banks)</li><li>Operational cost + margins</li></ol>Any plus or minus in this equation would send your home loan interests tanking, or skyrocketing. Vivek Iyer, Partner, Grant Thornton Bharat explains that any change in the repo rates impacts the cost of funds and thereby the home loan interest rates. “When the interest rates are expected to reduce, the corresponding impact will be in the form of a reduced EMI. Home loan borrowers should always try to borrow at a floating rate when interest rates are expected to reduce and at a fixed rate when the interest rates are expected to increase. This minimizes the outflow in the form of EMIs that the home loan borrowers will experience”, he continues. So, no change in repo rates means no change in your home loan interest payout and no financial relief whatsoever. A rate cut, which most experts are anticipating will start this December, would mean your EMI payments come down, and your wallet might save a little more. But there’s also a chance of an UNO reverse happening. In case RBI is in the mood to hike the interest, your home loan EMIs might end up taking more from your pockets. Consider this. You took a floating interest rate home loan worth Rs 50 lakh in January 2022 at 8% p.a., for a period of 20 years. This brings your total monthly EMI to Rs Rs 41,822. But, as luck would (or won't) have it, RBI raised the interest rate by 250 basis points between May 2022 and February 2023, bringing it to its current status of 6.5%. Some back-of-the-envelope calculations suggest that now, your home loan interest payout will also rise by a hefty 2.5%, taking the total to 10.5%. In other words, you’ll have to dish out Rs 49,919 per month as EMI. Now, won't you heave a sigh of relief if the RBI were to bring down the interest rate by say, even 50 basis points, or 0.5%? Agreed, your EMI will come down just marginally, to Rs 48,251. But look at this over a 20-year period, and you’ll see how big the difference is. <h2>Are rates set to change anytime soon?</h2>Generally, RBI hikes the repo rates if it sees inflation spiralling out of control. Then, in a bid to reduce consumer spending, it raises interest rates to make borrowing expensive. But when the apex bank sees sluggish consumption in the economy, inflation in control and wants to boost spending, it slashes down on interest rates, making it more lucrative for people to borrow. As of now, most experts are not anticipating any changes in the interest rates anytime soon. This means home loans are not getting cheaper anytime soon. The CPI data, which came out yesterday, saw inflation rise to 5.49% in September, compared to 3.65% last month. Food and beverage prices jumped to a four-month high of 8.36% in September, as opposed to a 5.3% rise in August. So a rate cut seems a no-go at the moment! Apurva Sheth, Head of Market Perspectives and Research, SAMCO Securities explains that the RBI had probably expected a hardening of inflation and that's why it chose to hold on to the rates in the monetary policy announcement last week. “Now, it seems that RBI will take a cautious stance going ahead and will not be in a hurry into rate cuts like its global peers”, he added. In all this, one thing is clear, in the grand movie of the Indian economy, the RBI has chosen stability over drama. And just like in every good Bollywood film, we're left wondering what twist the sequel will bring. Until then, it might be “The End" for rate cuts, but the show must go on for the Indian economy!

Boom or bust — how RBI’s decision to leave rates unchanged affects homebuyers

Mumbai: The Reserve Bank is unlikely to cut the benchmark <keyword id="20071327" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="interest-rate" source="keywords">interest rate</keyword> in its forthcoming bi-monthly monetary policy review later in the week as <keyword id="19999652" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="retail-inflation" source="keywords">retail inflation</keyword> is still a cause of concern, and there is a possibility of the Middle East crisis deteriorating further, impacting crude oil and commodity prices, say experts. Earlier this month, the government reconstituted the Reserve Bank's rate-setting panel -- <keyword id="19913109" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Monetary-Policy-Committee" source="keywords">Monetary Policy Committee</keyword> (MPC). The reconstituted panel, with three newly appointed external members, will commence its maiden meeting on Monday. MPC Chairman RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das will reveal the outcome of the three-day discussion on Wednesday (October 9). The <keyword id="19899810" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Reserve-Bank-of-India" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Reserve Bank of India" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Reserve Bank of India">Reserve Bank of India</keyword> (RBI) has kept the repo or short-term lending rate unchanged at 6.5 per cent since February 2023, and experts think some easing could only be possible in December. The government has tasked the central bank to ensure that Consumer Price Index (CPI) based retail inflation remains at 4 per cent with a margin of 2 per cent on either side. In the current context, experts feel that the RBI may not follow the US Federal Reserve, which lowered the benchmark rates by 50 basis points, and the central banks of some developed nations, which have reduced the interest rates. "We do not expect any change in the <keyword id="20094323" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="repo-rate" source="keywords">repo rate</keyword> or stance by MPC. The reason is that inflation for September and October will be above 5 per cent, and the present low inflation is due to the base effect. Besides, core inflation is inching upwards," said Madan Sabnavis, Chief Economist, Bank of Baroda. Further, the recent Iran-Israel imbroglio can intensify, and there is uncertainty here, he said. "Hence, the status quo is the most likely option even for new members. Inflation forecast may be lowered by 10-20 bps and no change in GDP forecast likely," said Sabnavis. The central bank last hiked the repo rate to 6.5 per cent in February 2023 and since then, it has held the rate at the same level. Icra Chief Economist Aditi Nayar said that given the undershooting in the initial first quarter GDP growth relative to the MPC's forecast and the likely sizeable undershooting in the second quarter CPI inflation print as well, "we believe a stance change to neutral may be appropriate in the October 2024 policy review". This could be followed by a shallow rate-cutting cycle of 25 bps each in December 2024 and February 2025, she added. "The abundant monsoon offers some insurance for crop inflation. The impact of global political developments and geopolitical uncertainty on the growth inflation dynamics remains a risk," Nayar added. An HSBC report said three developments stand out -- softer growth numbers have trickled in recently, inflation has been falling, and the external environment has moved from rate hikes to cuts. "We believe the RBI doesn't gain from waiting any longer. We think it will change its stance from a hawkish 'withdrawal of accommodation' to 'neutral' in the upcoming 9 October policy meeting, followed by repo rate cuts of 25 bps each in the December and February meetings, taking the repo rate to 6 per cent," the report said. The RBI kept the repo rate unchanged at 6.5 per cent in its August bi-monthly review amid risks from higher food inflation. This was the ninth consecutive MPC meeting, which decided to maintain the status quo on the rate front. Pradeep Aggarwal, founder and chairman, Signature Global (India) Limited, said while the real estate industry, developer community, and homebuyers are hoping for an interest rate cut in the upcoming monetary policy review, the RBI is likely to hold on to the interest rate cuts for the tenth consecutive time. "The apex bank still seems uncomfortable with the overall retail inflation scenario, particularly food inflation. As such, it is expected to maintain the status quo. The recent interest rate cut by the US Federal Reserve has ignited similar hopes even in India, but the domestic scenario is very different," he added. SBM Bank India Head Treasury Mandar Pitale believed that the MPC has persistently advocated a restrictive policy until inflation aligns durably towards the 4 per cent target. "With the unfavourable base effect taking the next couple of CPI prints near 5 per cent plus or minus, it will pose a major challenge for MPC to start easing from the October meeting," Pitale said, adding that the MPC is also expected to deliberate upon the global factors like growth-inflation behaviour in developed economies. The government has appointed Ram Singh, Saugata Bhattacharya, and Nagesh Kumar as external members of the MPC. They have replaced Ashima Goyal, Shashanka Bhide, and Jayanth R Varma. Apart from the Governor, the other internal members are the RBI Deputy Governor in charge of monetary policy Michael Debabrata Patra and the Executive Director monetary policy department of RBI Rajiv Ranjan. In an off-cycle meeting in May 2022, the MPC raised the policy rate by 40 basis points and it was followed by rate hikes of varying sizes, in the subsequent meetings till February 2023. The repo rate was raised by 250 basis points cumulatively between May 2022 and February 2023.

Status-quo on interest rate likely, say experts ahead of RBI's policy review

The <keyword id="19899810" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Reserve-Bank-of-India" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Reserve Bank of India" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Reserve Bank of India">Reserve Bank of India</keyword> (<keyword id="19899808" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="RBI" source="keywords">RBI</keyword>) on Monday said 97.96 % of the <keyword id="6429211" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="rs-2" source="Orion">Rs 2</keyword>,000 denomination <keyword id="20481528" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="banknotes" source="keywords">banknotes</keyword> have returned to the banking system, and only Rs 7,261 crore worth of the withdrawn notes are still with the public. On May 19, 2023, the RBI announced the withdrawal of Rs 2,000 denomination banknotes from circulation. The total value of Rs 2,000 banknotes in circulation, which was Rs 3.56 lakh crore at the close of business on May 19, 2023, when the withdrawal of Rs 2,000 banknotes was announced, has declined to Rs 7,261 crore at the close of business on August 30, 2024, the RBI said. "Thus, 97.96 % of the Rs 2,000 banknotes in circulation as on May 19, 2023, has since been returned," it said in a statement. The facility for deposit and/or exchange of the Rs 2,000 banknotes was available at all bank branches in the country till October 7, 2023. The facility for the exchange of the Rs 2,000 banknotes has been available at the 19 issue offices of the <keyword id="19922074" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="reserve-bank" source="keywords">Reserve Bank</keyword> since May 19, 2023. From October 9, 2023, RBI issue offices are also accepting Rs 2000 banknotes from individuals and entities for deposit into their bank accounts. Further, members of the public are sending Rs 2,000 banknotes through India Post from any post office within the country to any of the RBI issue offices for credit to their bank accounts. The 19 RBI offices depositing/exchanging the banknotes are in Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Belapur, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Jammu, Kanpur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Nagpur, New Delhi, Patna and Thiruvananthapuram. Rs 2000 banknotes were introduced in November 2016, following the demonetisation of the then-prevailing Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 banknotes. However, even after their discontinuation, Rs 2,000 notes continue to remain legal tender. Per the apex bank's last update, which came out on August 1st, 2024, Rs 2,000 banknotes had declined to Rs 7409 crore at the close of business on July 31, 2024. Thus, by last month, 97.92% of the Rs 2,000 banknotes which were in circulation as on May 19, 2023, had been returned.

Rs 2,000 notes: 97.96% returned; Rs 7,261 crore worth notes still with public

On Wednesday, the US <keyword id="19904332" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Federal-Reserve" source="keywords">Federal Reserve</keyword> slashed the <keyword id="19950650" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="interest-rates" source="keywords">interest rates</keyword> by a mammoth 50-basis points. In response, markets across the world, including the Nifty and Sensex, scaled record highs. While Nifty was up by around 280 points, breaching the 25,000 mark, Sensex was up by almost 1,000 points. Globally, S&amp;P was up by 1.70%, while Hang Seng inched up by 1.06% But did you know that along with the Fed, many other <keyword id="19946830" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="central-banks" source="keywords">central banks</keyword> across the world also made changes to their interest rates this week? This includes <keyword id="19935367" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Brazil" source="keywords">Brazil</keyword>, Indonesia, Japan, <keyword id="19953502" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Turkey" source="keywords">Turkey</keyword> and England. We take a closer look: <h2>Brazil</h2> Latin America's largest economy, which has set a 3% inflation target for itself, is currently witnessing 4.25% inflation. The apex bank unanimously decided to raise its Selic rate, or benchmark interest by 25 basis points for the first time in 2 years, taking it to 10.75%. The decision making committee, also known as the Copom, also signalled towards three more rate hikes of 25 bps each by the end of this year, closing the year with the Selic at 11.25%. Bolstered by a solid labour market, with unemployment in the country dipping to 6.9% in May, the lowest since 2014, Brazil is also witnessing a surge in employment growth, which grew 2.9% on a YoY basis, and a rise in average monthly earnings, which jumped up 5.6% from the year ago period. Such strong labour markets, combined with higher consumer spending, stokes fears of inflation. This is why such tightening measures i.e. raising the borrowing costs become necessary. <h2>Japan</h2> The country held steady it's short term interest rate at 0.25%, treading largely along expected lines. You'd think the only way up for Japanese interest rates from hereon is up, but the country has, for decades, also held a negative interest rate, something it did away with only in March this year. This was done to fire up consumption and increase borrowing, which seems to be yielding fruits now. Governor Kazuo Ueda also hinted at raising interest rates, if spending and consumption stay in line with the central bank’s target of 2% inflation. <h2> Indonesia</h2> The country announced a quarter basis point (25 bps) rate cut for the first time in 3 years, a surprise move given that most experts anticipated the country to hold steady on to its interest rate of 6.25%. Bringing down the interest rate to 6%, governor Perry Warjiyo expects this to boost the Rupiah, the country's currency and also accelerate foreign inflows into the economy. Given that the country's inflation projections for 2024 and 2025 remain within the targeted 2.5%, experts anticipate more rate cuts in the remaining part of the year. <h2> Turkey</h2> The country's central bank kept the interest rate steady at 50% for the 6th consecutive month in September. Turkey had last hiked it's interest rate by a massive 500 basis point in March this year, in a bid to tame inflationary pressures, which are now down from 75% in May to 52% last month. The central bank estimates that inflation will be down to 42% by end of 2024, dipping further lower to 17.5% by 2025 end. Analysts expect the country to make its first rate cut in November this year, as inflation in the country stabilises to some extent. <h2> England</h2> The good old British refrained from tinkering with their interest rates, leaving it unchanged at 5%, even as their American counterparts slashing interest rates and keeping the interest rate target range between 4.75% and 5%. This comes amidst the rapid rising pace of service prices, which make up for 80% of the British economy, and wage rise. The decision was largely expected, given that inflation, which holds steady at 2.2% as of August, remains above the apex bank’s target. Sevice inflation in the country jumped to 5.6% in August, which is keeping Bank of England on alert. Although, it is expected to revise rates in its next meeting in November.

Not just Fed, but central banks of these countries also tinkered with rate cuts this week

The technology platform for providing "<keyword id="22918315" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="frictionless-credit" source="keywords">frictionless credit</keyword>" launched by the <keyword id="19899810" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Reserve-Bank-of-India" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Reserve Bank of India" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Reserve Bank of India">Reserve Bank of India</keyword> (<keyword id="19899808" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="RBI" source="keywords">RBI</keyword>) last year as a pilot project will soon be introduced nationwide soon, said Reserve Banks of India Governor, <keyword id="19913110" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="shaktikanta-das" source="keywords">Shaktikanta Das</keyword> on Monday. This technology platform will be named "<keyword id="22918314" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Unified-Lending-Interface" source="keywords">Unified Lending Interface</keyword> (ULI)", Das said while speaking in Bengaluru at the event of the Global Conference on Digital Public Infrastructure and Emerging Technologies. Governor Das said "Just like <keyword id="19900911" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="UPI" source="keywords">UPI</keyword> transformed the payments ecosystem, we expect that ULI will play a similar role in transforming the lending space in India. The 'new trinity' of JAM-UPI-ULI will be a revolutionary step forward in India's <keyword id="20018890" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="digital-infrastructure" source="keywords">digital infrastructure</keyword> journey." The ULI platform facilitates a seamless and consent-based flow of digital information, including even land records of various states, from multiple data service providers to lenders. The technology platform introduced last year as a pilot projects cuts down the time taken for credit appraisal, especially for small and rural borrowers. Das stated that the ULI architecture has common and standardised APIs, designed for a 'plug and play' approach to ensure digital access to information from diverse sources. "This reduces the complexity of multiple technical integrations. It enables borrowers to get the benefit of seamless delivery of credit, and quicker turnaround time without requiring extensive documentation. By digitising access to customer's financial and non-financial data that otherwise resided in disparate silos, ULI is expected to cater to large unmet demand for credit across various sectors, particularly for agricultural and MSME borrowers," the RBI governor stated. Showing confidence in the newly launched ULI, Das said, "Just like UPI transformed the payments ecosystem, "we expect that ULI will play a similar role in transforming the lending space in India." Speaking about the success of Unified Payment Interface (UPI) Das said, "The current ecosystem of digital payments in India offers a bouquet of simple, safe, and secure options for instant or quick transfer of funds, both large and small value, for businesses and individuals." Das further stated stated that the apex bank is consistently trying to secure the financial system in the country. "We are constantly working on devising policies, approaches, systems and platforms that will make our financial sector stronger, nimble and customer-centric," Das said. Additionally, Das also highlighted that the central bank is constantly working on devising policies, systems, and platforms that will make the financial sector stronger, nimble and customer-centric. Das said that over the last decade, the traditional banking system has undergone an unprecedented technological transformation. By all indications, this process is likely to become even more intense in the coming years, he said. On the country's experience in DPI, he said, "DPI has enabled India to achieve in less than a decade levels of financial inclusion that would have otherwise taken several decades or even more" He also emphasised that UPI system has the potential to evolve into a cheaper and quicker alternative to available channels of cross-border remittances. The Governor also stressed that financial institutions should be abundantly mindful of associated risks of Artificial Intelligence.

After UPI, RBI set to launch Unified Lending Interface (ULI) for friction-less credit

<keyword id="19951168" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="RBI-governor-Shaktikanta-Das" source="keywords">RBI governor Shaktikanta Das</keyword> was awarded an A+ grade, the highest of the lot, for the second time in a row by the <keyword id="22855254" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Global-Finance-Magazine" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Global Finance Magazine" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Global Finance Magazine">Global Finance Magazine</keyword>'s <keyword id="22862849" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Central-Banker-Report-Card-2024" source="keywords">Central Banker Report Card 2024</keyword>. While the full list will be available in October, Das was ranked the highest, along with Denmark's Christian Kettel Thomsen and Switzerland's Thomas Jordan. Fed chairman Jerome Powell scored an A- on the list. Before Das, former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan had also made to this list in 2015, securing A grade. Taking to X, PM <keyword id="19895781" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi" source="keywords">Narendra Modi</keyword> and <keyword id="19982618" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Anand-Mahindra" source="keywords">Anand Mahindra</keyword>, who heads Mahindra and Mahindra, congratulated Das, with the billionaire calling him "a <keyword id="21663281" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="gold-medalist" source="keywords">gold medalist</keyword> in central bank Olympics". <div type="twitter" handle="narendramodi" handlename="narendramodi" favoritecount="0" retweetcount="0" id="1826100085672857771"></div> <div type="twitter" handle="anandmahindra" handlename="anandmahindra" favoritecount="0" retweetcount="0" id="1825919281957159052"></div> Brazil's Roberto Campos Neto, Chile's Rosanna Costa, Sri Lanka's Nandalal Weerasinghe and Vietnam's Nguyen Thi Hong received a A grade, while EU's Christine Lagarde, Cambodia's Chea Serey and Sweden's Erik Thedéen were amongst those receiving the A-grade. Since 1994, Global Finance has been grading the central bank governors of nearly 100 countries. They are rated at a scale of A+ (excellent) to F (failure) depending on their success across specific parameters such as inflation control, economic growth goals, currency stability and interest rate management. <h2>Who is Shaktikanta Das? </h2>With a seasoned bureaucratic legacy of 35 years, Das is an IAS officer from the 1980 Tamil Nadu cadre. He graduated from St. Stephens College, Delhi with a degree in history, and was appointed as the 25th governor of the apex bank five years ago, on December 12th, 2018. Prior to assuming this position, Das had also served as secretary in the Department of Revenue and also, Economic Affairs under the <keyword id="19908390" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ministry-of-Finance" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Ministry of Finance" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Ministry of Finance">Ministry of Finance</keyword>. He also served as the DM (district magistrate) for Dindigul and Kanchipuram. Having worked with 4 different finance ministers (Pranab Mukherjee, Arun Jaitley, P Chidambaram and Nirmala Sitharaman), Das had previously also been a member, 15th Finance Commission, along with being a G20 Sherpa in 2017. Das had been instrumental in preparation of India's last 8 union budgets, along with serving as India's alternate governor at various fora, like World Bank, Asian Development Bank, New Development Bank, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and more. Das has several economic laurels to his name. From drafting the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code to executing tax devolution under GST for states and demonetisation, , Shaktikanta Das has played a crucial role in shaping India's overall economic health

Gold medalist in central bank Olympics-All you need to know about RBI governor Shaktikanta Das

Country's largest commercial lender <keyword id="6354731" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="state-bank-of-india" source="Orion">State Bank of India</keyword> (<keyword id="13222" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="sbi" source="Orion">SBI</keyword>) said that domestic GDP growth is now on firm footing with urban demand showing good traction, while the lagging rural demand is a cause of concern. The <keyword id="371573" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="apex-bank" source="Orion">apex bank</keyword> has also revised GDP growth marginally upwards from 6.4 per cent to 6.5 per cent for the current financial year. In its 'Ecowrap' research report, SBI said that the GDP growth forecast of the apex bank <keyword id="30067" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="rbi" source="Orion">RBI</keyword> for the current fiscal has undergone some change since April 2023. While RBI had projected GDP growth at 6.4 per cent in April, this has been slightly revised upwards to 6.5 per cent for the current fiscal, as announced in the latest Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting which concluded on June eight. Inflation for the current financial year has been pegged by 5.1 per cent by the apex bank, perceived to be above the tolerance band of RBI at four per cent. The report said that the series of rate hikes in the recent past had resulted in a falling unemployment rate, signifying that the apex bank had been able to trim the excess labour demand in the market without contraction in employment. It further said that the declining current inflation as well as falling inflationary expectations for the next financial year gives a clear signal that the apex bank will be able to control the rate of the price rise by a series of previous rate hikes having its lagged impact, within the tolerance band. The inflation trajectory is now conditional on the spatial variation of the monsoon and possible development to EL Nino effect. The headline inflation trajectory, a measure of the total inflation of an economy, is likely to be shaped by food price dynamics, the report said. According to the report, the "outlook on the global economy is clouded in sideways movement in most of the indicators even when a slowdown in advanced economies, weak external demand, tight financial conditions and elevated debt levels pose risks to growth prospects. On Thursday, the MPC under the chairmanship of RBI governor <keyword id="6359111" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="shaktikanta-das" source="Orion">Shaktikanta Das</keyword> pressed the pause button on repo rates for the second time after April which is now at 6.5 per cent. The report said that supply-side factors contributed more than 50 per cent of the inflation in January 2023, plunged to 46 per cent due to ease in supply-side restrictions. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/bmw-m2-launched-in-india-here-are-some-of-the-top-sports-cars-available-in-the-country/slidelist/100874746.cms">BMW M2 comes to India: Here’s how it compares with top sports cars available here</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/list-of-some-indias-most-brutal-murders/slidelist/100872813.cms">India’s most gruesome murders and their deadly modus operandi</a>

Domestic GDP growth on firm footing, growth slightly revised upwards: SBI study

The Reserve Bank's FI, or <keyword id="20377974" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="financial-inclusion" source="keywords">financial inclusion</keyword> index, which captures the extent of financial inclusion across the country, rose to 64.2 in March 2024, marking growth across all parameters. The index captures information on various aspects of financial inclusion in a single value ranging between 0 and 100, where 0 represents complete financial exclusion and 100 indicates full financial inclusion. "The value of the index for March 2024 stands at 64.2 vis-a-vis 60.1 in March 2023, with growth witnessed across all sub-indices," the Reserve Bank of India (<keyword id="19899808" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="RBI" source="keywords">RBI</keyword>) said in a statement today. During FY23, the FI Index stood at 60.1. Improvement in <keyword id="18794777" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="FI-Index" source="Orion">FI-Index</keyword> is mainly contributed by usage dimension, which further reflects deepening of financial inclusion, it added. The FI-Index comprises three broad parameters -access, which has a 35% weightage, usage, which has a 45% weight and quality, which has a 20% weight. Each of these parameters further consist of various dimensions, which are computed based on a total of 97 indicators. Breaking these parameters ahead, access is made up of 26 indicators, which capture the number of banking outlets NBFCs, and post offices, total number of <keyword id="25450" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="savings" source="Orion">savings</keyword> accounts (including small savings), <keyword id="22348444" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="electronic-payment-infrastructure" source="Orion">electronic payment infrastructure</keyword> and more. Usage comprises 52 indicators, which aims to capture the demand side, and is essentially a barometer for understanding how actively financial infrastructure is being utilized in our country by way of savings, <keyword id="6355120" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="investment" source="Orion">investment</keyword>, <keyword id="35450" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="insurance" source="Orion">insurance</keyword>, availing of credit and remittance facilities, etc. And lastly, quality, which consists of 19 indicators, takes into account the efficacy of existing grievance redressal mechanisms and awareness efforts undertaken by stakeholders and more. In August 2021, the central bank said FI-Index has been conceptualized as a comprehensive index, incorporating details of banking, investments, insurance, postal, as well as the pension sector, in consultation with government and respective sectoral regulators. The index is responsive to ease of access, availability and usage of services, and quality of services. According to RBI, a unique feature of the index is the quality parameter which captures the quality aspect of financial inclusion as reflected by financial literacy, consumer protection and inequalities and deficiencies in services. <h2> India added 4.7 crore jobs in 2023-24, says RBI</h2>In another significant data release during the day, the apex bank of the country noted that India added nearly 4.7 crore jobs during 2023-24, taking the total number of employed people to 64.33 crore, which are spread over 27 sectors covering the entire economy. The number of employed people was 59.67 crore at the end of March 2023, as per the RBI's update on 'Measuring Productivity at the Industry Level-The India KLEMS [Capital (K), Labour (L), Energy (E), Material (M) and Services (S)] Database'. The bank said the annual growth in employment during 2023-24 was 6% compared to 3.2% in the year-ago period. In the last five years, <keyword id="22348445" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="The-India-KLEMS" source="Orion">the India KLEMS</keyword> database revealed that total employment increased from 53.44 crore in 2019-20 to 64.33 crore during the previous fiscal. The data for financial 2022-23 is a provisional estimate of productivity for the total economy. The 'agriculture, hunting, forestry and fishing' employed 25.3 crore individuals, up from 24.82 crore in 2021-22, the fiscal 2022-23 data suggested. Construction, trade, and transport and storage were among the leading employment provider segments in 2022-23. Notably, for the purpose of this database, 27 industries are clubbed together to form 6 major sectors, namely <ul><li>Agriculture, Hunting, Forestry and Fishing</li><li>Mining and Quarrying</li><li>Manufacturing</li><li>Electricity, Gas and Water supply</li><li>Construction</li><li>Services</li></ul>

You Searched For "apex bank" and got 13 results

India's forex kitty rises by $6.40 billion to $642.50 billion

PTI

Shaktikanta Das receives award for A+ grade in Central Bank Report Cards 2024 in USA

BI India Bureau

This new Goldman Sachs partner is leading the bank's strategy with young heirs and founders

Hayley Cuccinello

Forex reserves jump $1.63 billion to $618.9 billion

PTI

Reserve Bank may act against more NBFCs to keep obscure lending practices in check, says Morgan Stanley

Ira Alok Puranik

Boom or bust — how RBI’s decision to leave rates unchanged affects homebuyers

Ira Alok Puranik

Status-quo on interest rate likely, say experts ahead of RBI's policy review

PTI

Rs 2,000 notes: 97.96% returned; Rs 7,261 crore worth notes still with public

PTI

Not just Fed, but central banks of these countries also tinkered with rate cuts this week

Ira Alok Puranik

After UPI, RBI set to launch Unified Lending Interface (ULI) for friction-less credit

ANI

Gold medalist in central bank Olympics-All you need to know about RBI governor Shaktikanta Das

Ira Alok Puranik

Domestic GDP growth on firm footing, growth slightly revised upwards: SBI study

PTI

Rise seen in financial inclusion index, jobs in the country, notes RBI

Ira Alok Puranik

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