At India’s largest bank, all eyes on premium customers
Live MintMumbai: State Bank of India may be taking the higher road as it joins the scramble for customer funds without resorting to a rate war, but its outlook signals an extended industry struggle for deposit growth. India’s largest bank on Friday tempered its guidance on deposit growth to 10-11% from 12-13% for 2024-25 as customers might have now found more lucrative investment avenues. Setty said that SBI’s deposits had “crossed the milestone of ₹50 trillion” at the end of the second quarter, and that the bank had undertaken measures to attract more deposits. “However, we believe weak deposit growth and weak core income growth could limit the stock reaction, given the already healthy multiple.” State Bank of India shares ended Friday trading on BSE at ₹843.25 each, down 1.86% from the previous day’s close. Strong on corporate credit On unsecured loans, where some banks are starting to see an increase in asset quality deterioration, Setty said SBI’s quality remained strong.