Can Cooperative banks be better alternatives?

Cooperative Banking – Hopes on the rise

Banking environment in India structurally has become more dispersed than before with the Small Finance Banks, Payment Banks, Postal Bank emerging on the scene. Mergers and amalgamations in the private and public sector banks and ever increasing NPAs in the commercial banks are threatening the stability of the system. Seemingly strong macro-economic fundamentals notwithstanding, disruptive technologies are also adding fuel to fire. FRDI Bill poses a threat to the security of depositors and leaders’ promises cannot be insurance to what the bill itself holds for the banking clientele. Senior citizens, differently abled citizens, women and several customers of small means feel distanced from the services they were expecting at the hands of the banks.

Recapitalisation, NPAs and Basel III

http://www.moneylife.in/article/banks-recapitalisation-i-the-need-is-rs5-lakh-crore-to-meet-basel-iii-capital-norms/52166.html

http://www.moneylife.in/article/banks-recapitalisation-ii-4-measures-that-will-help-banks-survive/52178.html

Post demonetisation, banks were flush with funds and yet credit did not pick up. Blame was on the surging NPAs that decimated the risk appetite of the Banks. The whole country is now aware that NPAs of corporate borrowers is the villain of the piece. Banks for once stopped blaming the priority sector for the unsustainable level of NPAs.

PSBs have their liberal share and therefore FM announced recapitalization of the order never seen before at Rs.2.11trillion. To call these reforms is a travesty of judgement. Average tax paying person has to bite the bullet. It has the potential for moral hazard.

Basel Committee Core Principles for Effective Financial Inclusion

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Bank for International Settlements released a consultative document in December 2015, entitled: “Guidance on the application of the Core principles for effective banking supervision to the regulation and supervision of institutions relevant to financial inclusion” inviting comments before 31^st March 3016. This document meant for effective supervision of the non-banking financial intermediaries is the outcome of a survey Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) conducted a range of practice survey in 2013 (ROP) on the regulation and supervision of institutions of relevance to financial inclusion and on financial consumer protection across 59 jurisdictions with 52 respondents.

I have kept the following ground rules in view while reviewing the Draft Document:

Ø  Cost of compliance must be less than the cost of avoidance.

Ø  Regulations and rules must be simple and straight forward inviting easy compliance.

Ø  Multiple regulators impacting on financial inclusion agenda should be able to strengthen and accelerate the implementation.

Ø  Financial Institutions engaged in financial inclusion should be able to deal with it as a portfolio for generating data and information required for proper regulation.

Ø  Instruments, tools and techniques of supervision should be uniform across the nations.

Ø  Financial Inclusion achievements should be subject to social audit as well.