India might have just one-third the number of banks in The Banker's Top 1000 World Banks listing as China, but Anand Sinha, deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), is bullish about the sector. “The banking system is bound to grow substantially,” he says, adding that India’s 77 main banks – comprising 27 public sector banks, 30 foreign banks, 10 new-generation private banks and 10 old-generation private banks – are strong and well managed but still need to improve in terms of technology and risk management.
Future prospects