OVERVIEW OF THE INDUSTRY

INDUSTRY DEFINITION
The Banking industry comprises of segments that provide financial assistance and advisory services to its customers by means of varied functions such as commercial banking, wholesale banking, personal banking, internet banking, mobile banking, credit unions, investment banking and the like. With years, banks are also adding services to their customers. The Indian banking industry is passing through a phase of customers market. The customers have more choices in choosing their banks. A competition has been established within the banks operating in India. With stiff competition and advancement of technology, the services provided by banks have become more easy and convenient. Banks are among the main participants of the financial system in India. Banking offers several facilities & Opportunities. Bank of Hindustan, set up in 1870, was the earliest Indian Bank. Banking in India on modern lines started with the establishment of three presidency banks under Presidency Bank's act 1876 i.e. Bank of Calcutta, Bank of Bombay and Bank of Madras. The commercial banking structure in India consists of: Scheduled Commercial Banks & Unscheduled Banks. Banking Regulation Act of India, 1949 defines Banking as "accepting, for the purpose of lending or investment of deposits of money from the public, repayable on demand or otherwise and withdrawable by cheques, draft, order or otherwise." The arrival of foreign and private banks with their superior state-of-the-art technology-based services pushed Indian Banks also to follow suit by going in for the latest technologies so as to meet the threat of competition and retain customer base.

CLASSIFICATION OF THE INDUSTRY

Public Sector Banks Almost 80% of the businesses are still controlled by Public Sector Banks (PSBs). PSBs are still dominating the commercial banking system. Shares of the leading PSBs are already listed on the stock exchanges. The PSBs will play an important role in the industry due to its number of branches and foreign banks facing the constraint of limited number of branches. Hence, in order to achieve an efficient banking system, the onus is on the Government to encourage the PSBs to be run on professional lines. Private Sector Banks The RBI has given licenses to new private sector banks as part of the liberalisation process. The RBI has also been granting licences to industrial houses. Many banks are successfully running in the retail and consumer segments but are yet to deliver services to industrial finance, retail trade, small business and agricultural finance. Foreign banks The number of foreign bank branches in India has increased significantly in recent years since RBI issued a number of licenses - well beyond the commitments made to the World Trade Organisation. The presence of foreign banks in India has benefited the financial system by enhancing competition, resulting in higher efficiency. There has also been transfer of technology and specialised skills which has had some "demonstration effect" as Indian banks too have upgraded their skills, improved their scale of operations and diversified into other activities. At a time when access to foreign currency funds was a constraint for the Indian companies, the presence of foreign banks in India enabled large Indian companies to access foreign currency resources from the overseas branches of these banks. Also with the presence of foreign banks, as borrowers in the money market and their operation in the foreign exchange market has resulted in the creation and deepening of the inter-bank money market.

KEY DRIVERS OF SUSTAINABILITY IN THE BANKING INDUSTRY

Lender's liability Lender's liability is associated with the financial risks banks face when granting or extending loans. Banks and other lenders rely on financial statements of companies when deciding whether to grant or extend credit. Under current reporting requirements, potential environmental liabilities can easily remain undiscovered unless a lender develops its own procedure to assess the environmental risks. Therefore, some banks can end up spending the money on clean-ups of sites contaminated through their clients' activities. Borrower's ability to meet financial obligations The borrower's obligation to clean up contaminated sites might impair his or her ability to repay a loan. The contamination might also reduce the value of the collateral. Prudent lenders are following the environmental trends and changes in regulatory framework to assess the possible implications of these changes on their clients' overall financial position. Growing environmental concerns The last few decades have been marked by numerous changes in the regulatory framework relating to environmental protection. Recent scientific discoveries of environmental and health risks associated with pollution have contributed to an increase in public demand for environmental quality. These growing concerns have contributed to a major shift in public perception of corporate roles in society. Influenced by these trends, some banks have begun looking closely into their own environmental and social performance. In many cases this effort has resulted in adoption of energy and resource efficiency programs within the institutions themselves. Business opportunities The traditional approach of the banking sector to sustainability is often regarded as reactive and defensive. However, several international banks have recently adopted innovative, proactive strategies to capture the opportunities associated with sustainability. They have developed new products such as ethical funds or loans specifically designed for environmental businesses to capture new market opportunities associated with sustainability.

 Risk and reward The ability to gauge the risks and take appropriate position will be the key to successful banking in the emerging scenario. As audit and supervision shifts to a risk-based approach rather than transaction oriented, the risk awareness levels of line functionaries also will have to increase. The report also talks of the need for banks to deal with issues relating to `reputational risk' to maintain a high degree of public confidence for raising capital and other resources.