The U K Sinha committee report, which was released by the government this week, seeks to make life more predictable for foreign investors besides suggesting that steps should be initiated to protect individuals investing overseas. Sinha, who is the chairman and managing director of UTI Asset Management Company, spoke to Sidhartha about the committee&rsquo;s recommendations.

Q&A: U K Sinha, CMD, UTI AMC

Business Standard

ICICI Bank Chairman K V Kamath says the best part of India&rsquo;s growth momentum is that around 65 per cent of the economy does not need external funding. This will continue in future. He also expects interest rate pressure to ease from the first quarter of the next financial year.

Q&A: K V Kamath, Chairman, ICICI Bank

By filing a case against Citibank in the Rs 300-crore fraud at its Gurgaon branch, Sanjeev Aggarwal has shifted the focus of investigations from one bank employee, Shivraj Puri, to the whole branch. In an interview with Business Standard&rsquo;s Ranju Sarkar &amp; Tinesh Bhasin, the co-founder of Helion Investment Advisors, shares his lessons on wealth management.

Q&A: Sanjeev Aggarwal, Co-founder, Helion Investment Advisors

UBS, the Swiss investment bank, inked a number of deals across sectors in merger and acquisition (M&amp;A) and private equity (PE) space and marked a strong presence in 2010. In the largest M&amp;A deal of 2010, UBS advised Zain Telecom in its $10-billion African business sell out to Bharti. It also advised Reliance Industries for its $3-billion joint venture with Pioneer Natural Resources and Newpek.

Q&A: Ganeshan Murugaiyan, MD, UBS India

It&rsquo;s better to be boring in an exciting market like India than exciting in a boring market like the US, Stanchart&rsquo;s Asia CEO says, defending the bank&rsquo;s reputation for conservatism.

Lunch with BS: Jaspal Bindra

ICICI Bank is back. It has recorded its highest-ever quarterly net profit on a standalone basis at Rs 1,437.02 crore. Besides, the bank has reported no &lsquo;material&rsquo; slippages and loan growth of 15.3 per cent year-on-year. Addressing a post-result media teleconference, Chanda Kochhar, managing director and CEO, said it is not done yet and its focus areas remain the same &mdash; increasing the share of low-cost deposits and controlling costs and non-performing assets (NPAs).

Q&A: Chanda Kochhar, MD and CEO, ICICI Bank

As the wholesale price index-based inflation numbers remain high, banks are expected to witness a moderation in their margins in 2011. However, growth and profitability will remain robust, according to Vijaya Bank Chairman and Managing Director Albert Tauro. In an interview with Debasis Mohapatra, he shared his perspectives about the banking industry, with a focus on his bank.

Q&A: Albert Tauro, Chairman and MD, Vijaya Bank

Reserve Bank of India Deputy Governor Subir Gokarn explains to Manojit Saha what prompted the central bank to go for a smaller rate increase and why it is concerned about the high incremental credit-deposit ratio.

Q&A: Subir Gokarn, RBI deputy governor

The verdict of the much-awaited Malegam committee on micro-finance institutions (MFIs) is out, but the industry is not happy. Strapped for cash after being accused of coercion, the MFIs are now faced with the daunting task of raising as much as Rs 6,000 crore in the next six months to provide for possible bad loans in Andhra Pradesh, which recently cleared a Bill to regulate MFIs.

Q&A: Vijay Mahajan, Founder, Basix

Following a spate of bribery cases, Indian Inc may be in for some severe trouble after the UK Bribery Act comes into force from April 1. Hartmut Mai, the global head of financial lines at Allianz, tells Shilpy Sinha that the new law will put additional pressure on corporate India.

Q&A: Hartmut Mai, Global head of financial lines, Allianz

More than 10 years into the non-life business in India, AIG Inc, which holds 26 per cent stake in Tata AIG General, is ready to take growth to the next level. Julio A Portalatin, President and CEO, Chartis Growth Economies and Senior Vice President, General Insurance AIG Inc, who looks after operations in 52 countries, in his first interview in India, tells Niladri Bhattacharya the current third-party motor pool should be dismantled, and the regulator should free the prices.

Q&A: Julio A Portalatin 

A section of the Dhanlaxmi Bank employees&rsquo; union recently alleged the Thrissur-based lender had resorted to window dressing its financial accounts. In an interview with Abhijit Lele and Somasroy Chakraborty, managing director and chief executive Amitabh Chaturvedi dismisses these allegations, saying the annual regulatory inspection did not find any irregularities in its books.

Q&A: Amitabh Chaturvedi, Dhanlaxmi Bank

Amid fear of an economic slowdown, ICICI Lombard, the largest private sector general insurer in the country, collected premiums worth about Rs 3,000 crore in the first seven months of the current financial year. Managing Director and chief executive Bhargav Dasgupta tells Niladri Bhattacharya though the industry would record 20-25 per cent growth in 2011-12, third-party motor pool losses would hit profitability.

Q&A: Bhargav Dasgupta, ICICI Lombard GIC

After six and a half years at the helm of Standard Chartered India and South Asia, Neeraj Swaroop is set to take charge as chief executive, South-East Asia. During his stint, India became one of the top two or three contributors to Stanchart&rsquo;s global numbers.

Q&A: Neeraj Swaroop, Standard Chartered

Having decided to raise Rs 200 crore through tier II bonds, Kolkata-based United Bank of India, recently submitted to the Union government a roadmap for capital requirement of over the next five years. Bhaskar Sen, chairman and managing director, UBI, in an interview with Namrata Acharya, explains how changes in the macro economic situation will impact the banking industry.

Q&A: Bhaskar Sen, United Bank of India

Union Bank of India is the first bank to cut its base rate in two years. Chairman and managing director M V Nair, in an interview with Manojit Saha, talks about the reasons.

Q&A: M V Nair, Union Bank of India

Chanda Kochhar, managing director and chief executive officer, ICICI Bank, in a post-earnings conference, said the bank aimed to maintain its margin at 2.6 per cent.

Q&A: Chanda Kochhar, MD & CEO, ICICI Bank

Canada-based Sun Life Financial Inc&rsquo;s first stint in India was from 1891 till the life insurance industry was nationalised in 1956. The company again started operations in 2000, when the industry was opened up. Dean A Connor, president, Sun Life, in his first interview in India, tells Niladri Bhattacharya &amp; N Sundaresha Subramanian the regulator should ensure a level playing field in the annuity business.

Q&A: Dean A Connor, President, Sun Life Financial Inc

Alok Misra, chairman and managing director of Bank of India, spells out his strategy for credit expansion, improving asset quality and recovery for the second half of the financial year, in conversation with Parnika Sokhi and Abhijit Lele.

Q&A: Alok Misra, MD & Chairman, Bank of India

At a time when the asset quality of public sector banks is under stress due to an uncertain economic environment and rising interest rates, Indian Bank appears confident of keeping a lid on fresh slippages. In an interview with T E Narasimhan and Somasroy Chakraborty, chairman and managing director T M Bhasin says the lender will focus on loan recoveries in the coming quarters.

Q&A: T M Bhasin, CMD, Indian Bank

Rising borrowing costs, strained cash flow and delays in execution of projects have prompted many Indian companies to restructure their existing debts with banks. Punjab National Bank (PNB), the country&rsquo;s second-largest lender, has restructured nearly Rs 20,000 crore of loans in the last three and a half years. In an interview with Somasroy Chakraborty and T E Narasimhan, Chairman and Managing Director, K R Kamath, says a debt recast is needed to aid borrowers in servicing their loans.

Page 37 - Interviews