Hyderabad: The Department of Finance and Accounting at ICFAI Business School (IBS), Hyderabad, inaugurated a two-day Academicians and Practitioners Summit on Banking and Finance at the ICFAI campus.
The summit aims to provide a platform for academicians, policymakers, industry experts and research scholars to deliberate on emerging trends, challenges and innovations shaping the banking and financial ecosystem in India and globally.
The inaugural session was attended by Padma Vibhushan Dr C Rangarajan, Chancellor, ICFAI Foundation for Higher Education and former Governor of the Reserve Bank of India; Sri P Samba Murthy, former Chairman and Managing Director of Corporation Bank and former Director, IDRBT, Hyderabad; and Sri Rajesh Bansal, Founder and CEO of the Reserve Bank Innovation Hub, Bengaluru.
Delivering the inaugural address, Dr C Rangarajan outlined the structural changes underway in India’s banking system.
He noted that banks, as financial intermediaries, perform four critical transformations—liability-asset, size, period and risk transformations—which are essential for an efficient credit and savings system. He said the performance of financial institutions should be assessed on both operational efficiency and allocative efficiency.
While RBI-regulated entities account for 73 per cent of total credit in India and commercial banks contribute 50 per cent, he observed that competition from mutual funds and fintech firms is reshaping financial intermediation. Highlighting shifts in household investment behaviour, Dr Rangarajan said deposits now account for about 40 per cent of financial savings, down from 50 per cent, with increasing participation in shares and debentures.
While commending improvements in non-performing asset management and prudential regulation, he cautioned that excessive reliance on loan write-offs could distort the true assessment of asset quality.
He stressed that banks must balance growth ambitions with prudent risk management and ensure credit allocation supports sustainable and inclusive economic development.
The inaugural session concluded with the release of the edited volume Reimagining Finance & Growth: Global Perspectives and India’s Path Ahead, published by ICFAI Publications.
The book was released by Dr C Rangarajan in the presence of the dignitaries and features research papers by officers of the Reserve Bank of India on themes such as monetary policy, financial stability, technological innovation and inclusive growth.
Providing a thematic overview, Dr Anita C Raman, Chairperson of the Centre of Excellence in Banking and Finance, highlighted the summit’s objective of bridging academic research and industry practice.
Shobha Rani Yashaswy, Chairperson, ICFAI Society; Dr J Mahender Reddy, Distinguished Advisor to ICFAI; and other dignitaries were present.