Try GOLD - Free
‘US tariff have had no material impact’
Financial Express Kochi
|December 24, 2025
KALYAN KUMAR, MD & CEO, CENTRAL BANK OF INDIA
In less than two and a half months since taking charge as Managing Director & CEO of Central Bank of India, Kalyan Kumar has undertaken an extensive outreach programme across over 100 centres focused on retail, agriculture, and MSME (RAM) segments. In a conversation with
Kumar says corporate loan demand has also picked up, with a sanctioned pipeline of ₹85,000 crore to ₹1 lakh crore. Excerpts:
It has been a few months since you took charge at the Central Bank of India. What are the initiatives you have taken so far?
We organised credit outreach programmes across more than 100 centres for retail, agriculture, and MSME sectors in separate weeks, generating strong business leads and growth in these areas. While books remain dominant and preferred, we aim to balance them with retail, agriculture, and MSME segments. We have opened nearly 84,000-85,000 bank accounts through just one programme. Going forward, our primary focus will be on agriculture and MSMEs. We have identified active clusters and 250 branches each for agriculture and MSMEs, and developed cluster-specific products. In agriculture, our focus is mainly on self-help groups.
This story is from the December 24, 2025 edition of Financial Express Kochi.
Subscribe to Magzter GOLD to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 10,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MORE STORIES FROM Financial Express Kochi
Financial Express Kochi
Sensex slumps 1,600 pts in 4 days on trade jitters
THE STOCK MARKETS started 2026 on a negative note—the third time in the past four years—with both the Sensex and the Nifty falling over 1% in the first eight days of the year.
1 min
January 09, 2026
Financial Express Kochi
Ahead of polls, BJP lays its demands before AIADMK
IN A SIGNIFICANT escalation in its negotiations with the AIADMK, the BJP has sought a formal power-sharing commitment in Tamil Nadu ahead of the Assembly elections, asking for Cabinet representation in the event of an alliance victory—a demand that goes well beyond seat-sharing and could stir the state’s political conventions.
1 mins
January 09, 2026
Financial Express Kochi
India, Germany close to $8-bn submarine deal
INDIA AND GERMANY are hammering out the details of a submarine manufacturing deal worth at least $8 billion — the largest-ever defence agreement for New Delhi — according to officials with direct knowledge of the details.
2 mins
January 09, 2026
Financial Express Kochi
RBI's rupee playbook: Curb excess volatility
IN THE PAST month, the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) intervention in the foreign exchange market to protect the rupee from going into a free fall is being seen by experts as an attempt to manage excess volatility spurred by speculative action, instead of being target-based.
3 mins
January 09, 2026
Financial Express Kochi
Ecologist Madhav Gadgil, champion of Western Ghats conservation, dies
ITWAS THOSE bird-watching walks on Vetal Tekdi (Hill) in Pune at a young age, encouraged by his economist father, that made him fall in love with the Western Ghats.
2 mins
January 09, 2026
Financial Express Kochi
'Vision cars must reflect what finally reaches the road'
As M&M sharpens its premium ambitions and prepares a new wave of products, its Chief Design & Creative Officer Pratap Bose tells Akbar Merchant about how distinct sub-brand identities, production-led 'vision cars' and a growing influence of software and EV-led thinking are shaping the automaker's design strategy for the next decade.
1 mins
January 09, 2026
Financial Express Kochi
US court orders Vembu to furnish $1.7-bn bond in divorce case
A CALIFORNIA COURT, hearing the divorce petition of Zoho co-founder and chief scientist Sridhar Vembu, has directed him to submit a bond of $1.7 billion, citing concerns over post-petition asset transfers and their potential impact on the division of marital property.
1 min
January 09, 2026
Financial Express Kochi
Wheat e-auction resumption to lower prices, affect millers
THE GOVERNMENT'S MOVE to relaunch e-auction of wheat under the open market sale scheme (OMSS), after discontinuing it due to sluggish demand, has brought down its market prices, thereby hitting flour millers and stockists.
1 mins
January 09, 2026
Financial Express Kochi
2025 reset cooperation priorities
FfD4, COP30, and the G20 were opportunities for India to show its prowess for multilateral negotiations, while rejuvenating its domestic stance on tax policy
3 mins
January 09, 2026
Financial Express Kochi
Large-caps will offer attractive risk-reward this year
With the valuation gap between large-cap and mid- and small-caps being at a two- decade high, the former have become meaningfully cheaper. George Heber Joseph, Chief Investment Officer and Chief Executive Officer -Equity at ASK Investment Managers tells Ananya Grover that such divergences have created attractive entry points for large- cap investing. Excerpts:
2 mins
January 09, 2026
Listen
Translate
Change font size