PICKING THE WINNERS

THE METHODOLOGY BEHIND THE BT-KPMG BEST BANKS SURVEY 2020-21

- TEAM BT AND KPMG

1 ANAND SINHA, Former Deputy Governor, Reserve Bank of India

2 RASHESH SHAH, Chairman, Edelweiss Financial Services

3 ROMESH SOBTI, Former MD & CEO, IndusInd Bank

4 SANJAY JALONA, CEO and Managing Director, Larsen & Toubro Infotech

5 AMIT HARLALKA, Deputy CFO, ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India Limited

ANAND SINHA & ROMESH SOBTI PHOTOGRAPHS BY RACHIT GOSWAMI; RASHESH SHAH PHOTOGRAPH BY VIVAN MEHRA

AFTER ALMOST two years of the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns, the banking industry is finally showing some resilience. Most banks are wellstocked with capital and liquidity, and profitability and asset quality numbers are improving. The big challenge is credit growth. In addition, the real picture of non-performing assets (NPAs) will come out only after the end of several regulatory forbearances. This was the backdrop against which Business Today and KPMG commenced its annual exercise. The task was to analyse banks’ balance sheets and reach out to them for their initiatives on innovation, fintech engagement, talent and workforce management and enterprise resilience.

The innovation category received 80-plus nominations. Under talent and workforce, banks responded to the future of workplace parameters with innovative practices like work from home, hot seat concept, gig, and contract manpower. Post-Covid-19, enterprise resilience, especially technology and risk resilience, has taken centre stage, and the banks responded with such initiatives.