Has the US subprime crisis hit corporate growth and funding plans in India?
Corporate India is not bothered about the subprime crisis. I have not seen any large business house walk away from a deal on account of lack of funding. Yes, the cost of funding has increased as the rupee arbitrage has gone up. Large business houses have a five to six-year time horizon. Corporates are gearing up for real demand. There are two pillars to the corporate banking piece, one is the overseas acquisition and the other is project finance. None of these projects have been hit due to lack of funding. Power is very interest rate sensitive. A steep rise in the interest rates will impact projects. Are you looking at any inorganic growth opportunities globally? We will evaluate opportunities. We are doing a fair amount of India-centric business and building a low-cost deposit base. We would look at acquisitions to strengthen this business. You are seen as a possible successor to KV Kamath. . . Personally, I have an exciting job in hand. This is a significant aspect of the bank’s aspi
