Indian Banks Can Tackle 'Severe' Instability In Time Of Stress: RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das

Das said the central bank remains committed for future proofing of Indian financial system, and to provide support for its sustainable growth

Speaking at the Global Conference on Financial Resilience in Mumbai, Governor Shaktikanta Das said the Indian banking system has remained resilient.

Source : Getty

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das on Thursday said stress tests show Indian banks will be able to maintain capital adequacy above minimum requirement even in situation of severe distress. Speaking at the Global Conference on Financial Resilience in Mumbai, Das said, "The Indian banking system has remained resilient and has not been affected adversely by the recent spurts of financial instability seen in some advanced economies."

He said that the central bank remains committed for future proofing of Indian financial system, and to provide support for its sustainable growth. "This also comes out clearly in our recent stress test results. The gross non-performing assets (NPA) ratio for the scheduled commercial banks (SCBs) in India was 4.41 per cent at the end of December 2022 down from 5.8 per cent on March 31, 2022, and 7.3 per cent on March 31, 2021," he said.

Das noted that the capital-to-risk-weighted assets ratio (CRAR) at 16.1 per cent at the end of December 2022 was above the minimum regulatory requirements. Under Basel-III norms, banks are supposed to maintain their CRAR at 9 per cent or above.

"Macro stress tests for credit risk indicate that SCBs will be able to comply with minimum capital requirements even under severe stress situations," Das said.

However, he added that the recent events in the banking landscape of the US and Europe suggest that risks in a bank could crop up from the segments from its balance sheet, which might have been considered relatively safer earlier.

"We expect the management and board of directors of each bank to continually assess the financial risks and focus on adequate capital and liquidity buffers even beyond the minimum regulatory requirements," he said, while adding, "RBI remains committed to future-proofing of the Indian financial system, and to provide support for its sustainable growth.”