Uday Kotak Warns Against Excessive Regulation, Citing Potential Growth Impediments

He emphasised that “It also requires a sense of dreaming. It requires a sense of creativity, entrepreneurship, and professionals (need to be) ready to take risks without fear"

Veteran banker and founder of Kotak Mahindra Bank Uday Kotak expressed concern that excessive regulatory guardrails could hinder economic growth and obstruct India's progression towards becoming a developed nation. Kotak emphasised the importance of regulators maintaining a balance, advocating for swift responses to sector-specific "accidents" rather than being overly conservative and cautious while speaking at a two-day event organised by the National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA) on Tuesday.

"I feel very, very optimistic for India's future, but I am also very conscious that...unbridled focus on the opportunity without having the guardrails also runs the risk, and also too much guardrails will not get us there (developed nation)," Kotak said.

Stating that achieving the aspiration of rapid 7.5-8 per cent GDP growth over the next 20-25 years requires substantial capacity enhancement. He emphasised that “It also requires a sense of dreaming. It requires a sense of creativity, entrepreneurship, and professionals (need to be) ready to take risks without fear."

He stressed that for the Indian economy to undergo transformation, it is essential to safeguard and foster our entrepreneurial and creative energies, as they are integral for India to achieve its ambitions and aspirations.

Simultaneously, he also highlighted the necessity for substantial capacity development to effectively oversee this transition and transformation within the system. In a rapidly evolving economy, he noted that risks are inevitable, emphasising that stalling growth is not a viable solution; instead, such challenges must be promptly addressed with agility.

Kotak said, "We must encourage a lot more traffic, a lot more roads, have better signals, better regulation and most importantly fast resolution mechanism."

He added that the importance of robust regulation to avert mishaps, asserting that the country must prioritise effective oversight to prevent accidents. Additionally, he noted India's transition from a nation of savers to one of the investors, with a growing number of individuals channelling their surplus funds into mutual funds and equity markets.