Corporates

Contrary to several gloomy forecasts, the Indian banking sector has been surprisingly resilient in the face of the pandemic. This is because corporates, which account more than half the loans, are in better shape and banks are well-capitalised. This bodes well for loan growth and bank performance post the pandemic.

Why would companies, for whom costs rise with higher interest rates, choose to amass credit as interest rates rise? Were more and more loans taken with the understanding that default would be inevitable? Only a commission of inquiry with a specifi c mandate to understand the years of loose lending by banks in India can answer these and other uncomfortable questions. These answers are needed in the interest of securing our economy, and indeed our democracy.