Trying to increase coverage in retail space: Pratip Chaudhuri

Mumbai, August 2: In an interview with ET Now, Pratip Chaudhuri, Chairman of State Bank of India, gives his views on the RBI monetary policy and rate cuts. Excerpts:

 

ET Now: Firstly, how much of a benefit will SBI get from the cut in SLR announced by the RBI in this policy?

 

Pratip Chaudhuri: We thank the RBI. The policy had become two-dimensional. People used to only talk about the repo rate and a possible CRR cut. But the RBI added a third dimension of injecting liquidity beyond these two instruments, i.e. repo rate and CRR cut. Last time they increased the refinance component on export credit from 15% to 50%. This has given us an additional Rs 5000 crore.

 

The SLR cut has released about Rs 10000 crore for SBI. So what it means to my mind is that Rs 10000 crore which was locked up in low-yield SLR security, we would have greater urgency to deploy that in productive sectors.

 

ET Now: How much is your present SLR holding and would you look at taking benefit of the SLR reduction limit which was announced by the Reserve Bank of India on Tuesday?

 

Pratip Chaudhuri: Our SLR holding is currently about 28%. With this 1% reduction, it would become about 4% surplus. So you can either sell, depending on where that particular scrip is trading. Even if you don't sell, you can always put it into LAF and get liquidity. So roughly we have Rs 40000 crore of extra liquidity.

 

ET Now: Is the cut in your base rates as well in the pipeline then?

 

Pratip Chaudhuri: Not a broad-base rate cut. Only car loan and home loans are being targeted because we think that the instrument of interest rate should be used for increasing the credit flow.

 

So we think that the impact of cutting interest rates would be highest in these 2 segments -- home and car loans. No matter what is the interest rate for the corporate sector, there is hardly any demand for term loans. Working capital loans are also not in high demand because currently the commercial papers are going at about 9.3 to 9.7, which is below the base rates of all banks. So we are trying to increase our coverage in the retail space.

SBI Chief Pratip Chaudhuri says repo rate cut won’t be sufficient

Mumbai, July 27:  A cut in the cash reserve ratio (CRR) could serve as a mood elevator for the markets, according to the State Bank of India Chairman, Mr Pratip Chaudhuri. CRR, currently at 4.75 per cent, is the slice of deposits that banks have to maintain with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). “Perhaps there should be a 50 basis points CRR cut (to 4.25 per cent). I don’t know what kind of liquidity signals are being looked at.
“I do not agree with this that the total borrowing under the LAF (liquidity adjustment facility) is a ‘measure of the street’. The ‘measure of the street’ is at what price banks are issuing certificates of deposits (CDs),” said Mr Chaudhuri at a press meet to announce the conclusion of the bank’s $1.25-billion five-year overseas bond offering. LAF is a facility extended by the RBI to banks to avail themselves of liquidity in case they face deficit or park funds with the RBI in case they have surplus funds on an overnight basis against the collateral of government securities.
Mr Chaudhuri said that if banks are continuing to issue CDs at 9 per cent and 9.2 per cent, it obviously indicates that the liquidity situation is not comfortable.

‘Strong case for rate cut’
“Last time they (the RBI) skipped CRR cut. So, there is a strong case for it now. Globally, the monetary authorities have taken upon themselves the task of rejuvenating the economy. One thing that they can contribute is by moderating the interest rates,” reasoned the SBI chief.
The interest rate differential between Indian and overseas markets opens up carry trade. “Rupee is a good currency for deposits but not-so-good currency for bonds. We think there is case for bringing down the CRR and that will have a cooling effect on interest rates, especially for customers,” said Mr Chaudhuri.
In case of a repo rate cut, the benefits (for banks) are little. If there is no benefit, then banks cannot pass on any interest rate cut, he explained.

Disadvantage India
“Interest rate acts as a signal. It is a necessary but not a sufficient condition (for growth). It is a mood elevator. If interest rate comes down, it will trigger enthusiasm (among various participants in the economy). To some extent, most markets are a function of sentiments. Market sentiment will turn positive if there is a reduction in interest rates,” said Mr Chaudhuri.
Pointing out that Indian companies were at a disadvantage vis-à-vis their foreign competitors, the SBI chief said if the promoter of a power plant buys capital equipment from an Indian manufacturer, then he has to take rupee loan, which will come at 10-11 per cent. If the promoter were to go for foreign gear, say, Chinese equipment, which is very common, the interest cost is 4 per cent.

Low-cost Deposits up
According to Mr Chaudhuri, SBI’s retail deposit growth has been quiet good in the first four months of the current financial year. Low-cost deposits in current accounts and savings bank accounts increased by about Rs 30,000 crore in those first four months. However, loan growth has been muted.