City
Epaper

SBI chief proposes Kotak Mahindra Bank for Yes Bank

By IANS | Updated: December 17, 2019 22:45 IST

Uday Kotak, the Chairman of Kotak Mahindra Bank, seems to have become the 'go to man' for the industry, as the country's top lender on Tuesday projected him to be the best bet to save the financially challenged Yes Bank.

Open in App

Earlier, Kotak was roped in to steer the crisis hit IL&FS Group's reconstituted board.

On Tuesday, State Bank of India Chairman Rajnish Kumar projected Kotak Mahindra Bank as best suited to acquire the financially stressed Yes Bank.

After an industry event here, Kumar was asked on the likelihood of SBI acquiring the much smaller bank.

Kumar replied that such transactions require "deep pockets" which apparently Uday Kotak possesses.

His reply is being speculated to be given to avoid taking over other banks, since SBI had earlier merged five smaller state-owned lenders with itself.

The suggestion might seem to be an attempt by SBI to shed any forthcoming responsibility that government might bestow it with, especially given the fact that the state-run lender has recently got funds from Essar Steel's resolution.

Nonetheless, it is not completely absurd, as some industry insiders say that it makes complete sense for Kotak, who is currently embroiled in an ongoing tussle with RBI over diluting his stake in Kotak Mahindra Bank.

Moreover, such a move might actually be a win-win situation for both Kotak and Yes Bank, industry observers said.

However, the proposal was shot down by the Uday Kotak-led bank, which called it as industry's opinion and distanced itself from the narrative.

Last week, Yes Bank said that it is willing to "favourably consider the offer of $500 million of Citax Holdings and Citax Investment Group and the final decision regarding allotment will follow in the next board meeting."

Yes Bank had earlier indicated that it intends to raise up to $1.2 billion by December and, in the process, give the investors a seat on the company's board.

The bank has also postponed the decision to approve or decline the binding offer of $1.2 billion 60 per cent of the total capital the bank aims to raise submitted by mysterious investor Erwin Singh Braich.

At present, Yes Bank has received multiple non-binding but strong bids from marquee domestic and global institutional investors and family offices.

( With inputs from IANS )

Tags: Kotak Mahindra BankYes BankkumarUday Kotak
Open in App

Related Stories

MumbaiMumbai: Cyber Police Freeze Rs 11.19 Crore After Businessman’s Email ID Hacked in Fraud Case

BusinessSBI to Offload 24% Stake in Yes Bank for ₹18,420 Crore; Shares Fall

BusinessJapanese Bank Aims for Major Stake in Yes Bank: CEO to Meet with Indian Regulators

MumbaiMumbai: Deputy Manager Arrested for Fraudulently Transferring Rs 41.82 Lakh from Customer's Account

BusinessRBI Bars Kotak Mahindra Bank From Onboarding New Customers Due To Frequent Outages

कारोबार Realted Stories

BusinessIndia's direct tax collections surge 15.6% to Rs 27 lakh crore in 2024-25

BusinessCentre tells states to onboard eMaap portal to help consumers

BusinessMinister urges young IRS officers to strive for Viksit Bharat goal

BusinessMotilal Oswal reports Rs 63.2 crore loss in Q4, first in 5 years

BusinessPoonawalla Fincorp Q4 net profit plunges 81 pc to Rs 62 crore