Form 20-F
Table of Contents

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington D.C. 20549

 

 

FORM 20-F

 

 

 

¨ REGISTRATION STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(b) OR (g) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

OR

 

x ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016

OR

 

¨ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from                      to                     

OR

 

¨ SHELL COMPANY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Date of event requiring this shell company report

Commission file number 001-15216

 

 

HDFC BANK LIMITED

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

Not Applicable

(Translation of Registrant’s name into English)

India

(Jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)

HDFC Bank House, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai 400013, India

(Address of principal executive offices)

Name: Sanjay Dongre, Executive Vice President (Legal) and Company Secretary

Telephone: 91-22-2490-2934 /or 91-22-2498-8484, Ext. 3473

Email: sanjay.dongre@hdfcbank.com

Address: 2nd floor, Process House, Kamala Mills Compound, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai 400 013, India.

(Name, telephone, e-mail and/or facsimile number and address of company contact person)

 

 

Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

Title of each class

 

Name of each exchange on which registered

American Depositary Shares, each representing three

Equity Shares, Par value Rs. 2.0 per share

  The New York Stock Exchange

Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: Not Applicable

Securities for which there is a reporting obligation pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Act: Not Applicable

 

 

Indicate the number of outstanding shares of each of the issuer’s classes of capital or common stock as of the close of the period covered by the annual report:

Equity Shares, as of March 31, 2016            2,528,186,517

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.    Yes  x    No  ¨

If this report is an annual or transition report, indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.    Yes  ¨    No  x

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes  x    No  ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).    Yes  x    No  ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, or a non-accelerated filer. See definition of “accelerated filer and large accelerated filer” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

Large accelerated filer  x                 Accelerated filer  ¨                 Non-accelerated filer  ¨

Indicate by check mark which basis of accounting the registrant has used to prepare the financial statements included in this filing:

 

U.S. GAAP  x

                 International Financial Reporting Standards as issued             by the International Accounting Standards Board  ¨    Other  ¨

If “Other” has been checked in response to the previous question, indicate by check mark which financial statement item the registrant has elected to follow:    Item 17  ¨    Item 18  ¨

If this is an annual report, indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).    Yes  ¨    No  x

 

 

 


Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

CROSS REFERENCE SHEET

   ii

EXCHANGE RATES AND CERTAIN DEFINED TERMS

   1

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

   3

BUSINESS

   4

RISK FACTORS

   28

PRICE RANGE OF OUR AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES AND EQUITY SHARES

   48

DESCRIPTION OF EQUITY SHARES

   50

DESCRIPTION OF AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES

   55

DIVIDEND POLICY

   63

SELECTED FINANCIAL AND OTHER DATA

   64

SELECTED STATISTICAL INFORMATION

   67

MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

   83

MANAGEMENT

   110

PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDERS

   130

RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

   131

TAXATION

   134

SUPERVISION AND REGULATION

   140

EXCHANGE CONTROLS

   170

RESTRICTIONS ON FOREIGN OWNERSHIP OF INDIAN SECURITIES

   172

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

   176

INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

   F-1

EXHIBIT INDEX

  

 

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CROSS REFERENCE SHEET

Form 20-F

 

   

Item Caption

  

Location

   Page

Part I

       
Item 1   Identity of Directors, Senior Management and Advisors    Not Applicable   
Item 2   Offer Statistics and Expected Timetable    Not Applicable   
Item 3   Key Information    Exchange Rates and Certain Defined Terms    1
     Risk Factors    28
     Selected Financial and Other Data    64
Item 4   Information on the Company    Business    4
     Selected Statistical Information    67
    

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

   83
     Principal Shareholders    130
     Related Party Transactions    131
     Supervision and Regulation    140
Item 5   Operating and Financial Review and Prospects   

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

   83
Item 6   Directors, Senior Management and Employees    Business—Employees    27
     Management    110
     Principal Shareholders    130
Item 7   Major Shareholders and Related Party Transactions    Principal Shareholders    130
    

Management—Loans to Members of our Senior Management

   122
     Related Party Transactions    131
Item 8   Financial Information    Reports of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firms    F-2
     Consolidated Financial Statements and the Notes thereto    F-1
     Business—Legal Proceedings    27
Item 9   The Offer and Listing   

Price Range of Our American Depositary Share and Equity Shares

   48
     Restrictions on Foreign Ownership of Indian Securities    172

 

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Item Caption

  

Location

   Page
Item 10   Additional Information    Management    110
     Description of Equity Shares    50
     Dividend Policy    63
     Taxation    134
     Supervision and Regulation    140
     Exchange Controls    170
     Restrictions on Foreign Ownership of Indian Securities    172
     Additional Information    176
Item 11   Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk    Business—Risk Management    20
     Selected Statistical Information    67
Item 12   Description of Securities Other than Equity Securities    Not Applicable   
Item 12D   ADSs fee disclosure   

Description of American Depositary Shares—Fees and Charges for Holders of American Depositary Shares

   58

Part II

       
Item 13   Defaults, Dividend Arrearages and Delinquencies    Not Applicable   
Item 14   Material Modifications to the Rights of Security Holders and Use of Proceeds    Not Applicable   
Item 15   Controls and Procedures    Management—Controls and Procedures      123   
    

Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

     177   
    

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm—Internal Controls Over Financial Reporting

     178   
Item 16A   Audit Committee Financial Expert   

Management—Audit Committee Financial Expert

     124   
Item 16B   Code of Ethics    Management—Code of Ethics      124   
Item 16C   Principal Accountant Fees and Services    Management—Principal Accountant Fees and Services      125   
Item 16D   Exemption from the Listing Standards for Audit Committees    Not Applicable   
Item 16E   Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer and Affiliated Purchasers    Not Applicable   
Item 16F   Changes in or disagreements with accountants    Not Applicable   
Item 16G   Significant Differences in Corporate Governance Practices   

Management—Compliance with NYSE Listing Standards on Corporate Governance

     125   

 

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EXCHANGE RATES AND CERTAIN DEFINED TERMS

In this document, all references to “we,” “us,” “our,” “HDFC Bank” or “the Bank” shall mean HDFC Bank Limited or where the context requires also to its subsidiaries whose financials are consolidated for accounting purposes. References to the “U.S.” or “United States” are to the United States of America, its territories and its possessions. References to “India” are to the Republic of India. References to the “Companies Act” in the document mean the Companies Act, 1956 (to the extent such enactment remains in force) and the Companies Act, 2013 (to the extent notified as of the date of this report) and all rules and regulations issued thereunder. References to “$” or “US$” or “dollars” or “U.S. dollars” are to the legal currency of the United States and references to “Rs.”, “INR”, “rupees” or “Indian rupees” are to the legal currency of India.

Our financial statements are presented in Indian rupees and in some cases translated into U.S. dollars. The financial statements and all other financial data included in this report, except as otherwise noted, are prepared in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles, or U.S. GAAP. U.S. GAAP differs in certain material respects from accounting principles generally accepted in India, the requirements of India’s Banking Regulation Act and related regulations issued by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) (collectively, Indian GAAP), which form the basis of our statutory general purpose financial statements in India. Principal differences insofar as they relate to us include: determination of the allowance for credit losses, classification and valuation of investments, accounting for deferred income taxes, stock-based compensation, employee benefits, loan origination fees, derivative financial instruments, business combinations and the presentation format and disclosures of the financial statements and related notes. References to a particular “fiscal” year are to our fiscal year ended March 31 of such year.

Fluctuations in the exchange rate between the Indian rupee and the U.S. dollar will affect the U.S. dollar equivalent of the Indian rupee price of the equity shares on the Indian stock exchanges and, as a result, will affect the market price of our American Depositary Shares (ADSs) in the United States. These fluctuations will also affect the conversion into U.S. dollars by the depositary of any cash dividends paid in Indian rupees on the equity shares represented by ADSs.

In fiscal 2012, the Indian rupee depreciated coming under pressure amidst a widening current account deficit, thin capital inflows and rising global uncertainty spurred by lingering financial and economic instability in Europe and the United States. This trend continued in fiscal 2013. During fiscal 2014, the rupee came under immense and sustained selling pressure driven by growing anxiety about domestic growth prospects and global risk aversion. The rupee depreciated in fiscal 2014 by 10.1%. Investor expectations that reforms implemented by India’s government will lead to an improvement in the long-term growth outlook helped to improve the rupee’s performance, reducing the depreciation trend to 3.85% in fiscal 2015. During fiscal 2016 the rupee depreciated by 6.32% (the high and low during fiscal 2016 were Rs. 68.84 per US$1.00 and Rs 61.99 per US$1.00, respectively) primarily reflecting global risk aversion and a strong U.S. dollar. The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, information concerning the exchange rates between Indian rupees and U.S. dollars based on the noon buying rate in the city of New York for cable transfers of Indian rupees as certified for customs purposes by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York:

 

Fiscal Year

   Period End(1)      Average(1)(2)      High      Low  

2012

     50.89         47.81         53.71         44.00   

2013

     54.52         54.36         57.13         50.64   

2014

     60.00         60.35         68.80         53.65   

2015

     62.31         61.11         63.67         58.30   

2016

     66.25         65.39         68.84         61.99   

 

(1) The noon buying rate at each period end and the average rate for each period differed from the exchange rates used in the preparation of our financial statements.
(2) Represents the average of the noon buying rate for all days during the period.

 

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The following table sets forth the high and low noon buying rate for the Indian rupee for each of the previous six months:

 

Month

   Period End      Average      High      Low  

January 2016

     67.87         67.33         68.08         66.49   

February 2016

     68.21         68.24         68.84         67.57   

March 2016

     66.25         66.89         67.75         66.25   

April 2016

     66.39         66.42         66.70         66.05   

May 2016

     67.12         66.89         67.59         66.36   

June 2016

     67.51         67.27         67.92         66.51   

Although we have translated selected Indian rupee amounts in this document into U.S. dollars for convenience, this does not mean that the Indian rupee amounts referred to could have been, or could be, converted to U.S. dollars at any particular rate, the rates stated above, or at all. Unless otherwise stated, all translations from Indian rupees to U.S. dollars are based on the noon buying rate in the City of New York for cable transfers in Indian rupees at US$ 1.00 = Rs. 66.25 on March 31, 2016. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York certifies this rate for customs purposes on each date the rate is given. The noon buying rate on July 22, 2016 was Rs. 67.19 per US$ 1.00.

 

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FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

We have included statements in this report which contain words or phrases such as “will,” “aim,” “will likely result,” “believe,” “expect,” “will continue,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “contemplate,” “seek to,” “future,” “objective,” “goal,” “project,” “should,” “will pursue” and similar expressions or variations of these expressions, that are “forward-looking statements.” Actual results may differ materially from those suggested by the forward-looking statements due to certain risks or uncertainties associated with our expectations with respect to, but not limited to, our ability to implement our strategy successfully, the market acceptance of and demand for various banking services, future levels of our non-performing loans, our growth and expansion, the adequacy of our allowance for credit and investment losses, technological changes, volatility in investment income, our ability to market new products, cash flow projections, the outcome of any legal, tax or regulatory proceedings in India and in other jurisdictions we are or become a party to, the future impact of new accounting standards, our ability to pay dividends, the impact of changes in banking regulations and other regulatory changes on us in India and other jurisdictions, our ability to roll over our short-term funding sources and our exposure to market and operational risks. By their nature, certain of the market risk disclosures are only estimates and could be materially different from what may actually occur in the future. As a result, actual future gains, losses or impact on net income could materially differ from those that have been estimated.

In addition, other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those estimated by the forward-looking statements contained in this document include, but are not limited to: general economic and political conditions, instability or uncertainty in India and the other countries which have an impact on our business activities or investments caused by any factor, including terrorist attacks in India, the United States or elsewhere, anti-terrorist or other attacks by the United States, a United States-led coalition or any other country, tensions between India and Pakistan related to the Kashmir region or between India and China, military armament or social unrest in any part of India; the monetary and interest rate policies of the Government of India, natural calamities, inflation, deflation, unanticipated turbulence in interest rates, foreign exchange rates, equity prices or other rates or prices; the performance of the financial markets in India and globally, changes in Indian and foreign laws and regulations, including tax, accounting and banking regulations, changes in competition and the pricing environment in India, and regional or general changes in asset valuations. For further discussion on the factors that could cause actual results to differ, see “Risk Factors .”

 

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BUSINESS

Overview

We are a new generation private sector bank in India. Our goal is to be the preferred provider of financial services to upper and middle income individuals and corporations in India across metro, urban, semi-urban and rural markets. Our strategy is to provide a comprehensive range of financial products and services to our customers through multiple distribution channels, with what we believe are high quality service, advanced technology platforms and superior execution. We have three principal business activities: retail banking, wholesale banking and treasury operations.

We have grown rapidly since commencing operations in January 1995. In the five years ended March 31, 2016, we expanded our operations from 1,986 branches and 5,471 Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) in 996 cities/towns to 4,520 branches and 12,000 ATMs in 2,587 cities/towns. During the same five-year period, our customer base increased from 21.9 million customers to over 37 million customers. On account of the expansion in our geographical reach and the resultant increase in market penetration, our assets have grown from Rs. 2,920.2 billion as of March 31, 2011 to Rs. 7,736.7 billion as of March 31, 2016. Our net income has increased from Rs. 41.2 billion for fiscal 2011 to Rs. 117.9 billion for fiscal 2016.

Our financial condition and results of operations are affected by general economic conditions prevailing in India. The macroeconomic conditions in India continued to improve in fiscal 2016. Despite the slowdown in global growth and two consecutive years of monsoon shortfall, the Indian economy recorded a growth rate of 7.6%, its highest growth rate in five years, according to the Indian Central Statistics Office (CSO). The average level of CPI inflation declined from 6.0% in fiscal 2015 to 4.9% in fiscal 2016, domestic manufacturing growth improved to a robust 9.5% in fiscal 2016 compared to 5.5% in fiscal 2015 (CSO estimate), and foreign direct investment (FDI) into the country increased by 28.0%. A range of supply-side measures, including prudent food stock management, appropriate monetary policy action and subdued global commodity prices, aided the decline in inflation. In addition, initiatives such as “Make in India”, certain power sector reforms, the liberalization of FDI rules, higher government capital expenditure and enduring levels of urban consumption supported the overall growth momentum.

Export growth declined from 1.7% in fiscal 2015 to negative 5.2% in fiscal 2016 primarily on account of weak external demand and the value impact of low commodity prices. Similarly, muted domestic demand growth (including rural consumption and private investment) and subdued international commodity prices helped keep India’s external and fiscal balances in check. The current account deficit remained low and broadly unchanged at 1.5% of GDP, while the fiscal gap declined from 4.1% of GDP in fiscal 2015 to 3.9% of GDP in fiscal 2016.

The focus of fiscal policy in the coming year is on the revival of the rural economy and a sustained increase in capital expenditure. In addition, increased government spending through various social sector programs, the implementation of the recommendations of the Seventh Pay Commission for higher public sector wages, and the upturn in the rural economy supported by a normal monsoon should pave the way for an increase in domestic demand.

The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) accommodative monetary policy, including a focus on more effective transmission of policy rate reductions, taken together with further structural reforms from the government, should, on balance, lead to an improvement in the growth-inflation mix for fiscal 2017. Accordingly, headline GDP growth could increase to 7.8% in fiscal 2017 from 7.6% in fiscal 2016, which may, in turn, lead to an improvement in domestic credit growth, which picked-up from 8.4% in fiscal 2015 to 10.6% in fiscal 2016.

Notwithstanding the pace of growth in India, we believe we have maintained a strong balance sheet and a low cost of funds. As of March 31, 2016, net non-performing customer assets (which consist of loans and credit substitutes) constituted 0.4% of net customer assets. In addition, our net customer assets represented 95.9% of our deposits and our deposits represented 70.5% of our total liabilities and shareholders’ equity. The average non-interest bearing current accounts and low-interest bearing savings accounts represented 38.2% of total deposits for the period ended March 31, 2016. These low-cost deposits and the cash float associated with our transactional services led to an average cost of funds (including equity) for fiscal 2016 of 4.9%.

We had a cash outflow of approximately Rs. 9.7 billion, Rs. 8.9 billion and Rs. 10.0 billion in fiscals 2014, 2015 and 2016, respectively, principally for property, plant and equipment, including our branch network expansion and our technology and communications infrastructure. We have budgeted for approximately Rs. 12.0 billion of aggregate capital expenditure in fiscal 2017. This amount includes Rs. 2.9 billion to expand our branch and back office network, Rs. 1.1 billion to expand our ATM network and Rs. 4.8 billion to upgrade and expand our hardware, data center, network and other systems. The balance will be primarily used to add new equipment in our existing premises, expand our existing premises and relocate our branches and back offices. We may use these budgeted amounts for other purposes depending on, among other factors, the business environment prevailing at the time. As a result, our actual capital expenditures may be higher or lower than the budgeted amounts.

 

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HDFC Bank was incorporated in August 1994 and commenced operations as a scheduled commercial bank in January 1995. In 2000, we merged with Times Bank Limited and, in 2008, we acquired Centurion Bank of Punjab (CBoP). We are part of the HDFC group of companies established by our principal shareholder, Housing Development Finance Corporation Limited (HDFC Limited), a listed public limited company established under the laws of India. HDFC Limited is primarily engaged in financial services, including mortgages, property-related lending and deposit services. The subsidiaries and associated companies of HDFC Limited are also largely engaged in a range of financial services, including asset management, life insurance and other insurance. HDFC Limited and its subsidiaries owned 21.5% of our outstanding equity shares as of March 31, 2016. Our Chairperson and Managing Director are nominated by HDFC Limited and appointed with the approval of our shareholders and the RBI. In addition, Mr. Keki Mistry, Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of HDFC Limited, and Mrs. Renu Karnad, Managing Director of HDFC Limited, are members of our Board of Directors and have been appointed independent of HDFC Limited’s entitlement to nominate two directors. See also the section “Principal Shareholders”. We have no agreements with HDFC Limited or any of its group companies that restrict us from competing with them or that restrict HDFC Limited or any of its group companies from competing with our business. We currently distribute products of HDFC Limited and its group companies, such as home loans of HDFC Limited, life and general insurance products of HDFC Standard Life Insurance Company Limited and HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company Limited, respectively, and mutual funds of HDFC Asset Management Company Limited.

We have two subsidiaries, as per local laws: HDFC Securities Limited (HSL) and HDB Financial Services Limited (HDBFSL). HSL is primarily in the business of providing brokerage and other investment services through the internet and other channels. HDBFSL is a non-deposit taking non-banking finance company (NBFC) engaged primarily in the business of retail asset financing. We have consolidated the financial statements of Atlas Documentary Facilitators Company Private Ltd. (ADFC), which provides back office transaction processing services, in our U.S. GAAP financial statements.

Our principal corporate and registered office is located at HDFC Bank House, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai 400 013, India. Our telephone number is 91-22-6652-1000. Our agent in the United States for the 2001, 2005, 2007 and 2015 ADS offerings is Depositary Management Corporation, 570 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10022.

Our Competitive Strengths

We attribute our growth and continuing success to the following competitive strengths:

We have a strong brand and extensive reach through a large distribution network

We believe our HDFC Bank brand is one of the strongest brands in the Indian banking industry and we were acknowledged as the most valuable brand in India for the second consecutive year in a study conducted by WPP’s marketing and brand consultancy, Millward Brown. In addition, we were featured as the only Indian brand in the 2016 BrandzTM Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands ranking released by WPP and Millward Brown. We have capitalized on our strong brand by establishing an extensive branch network throughout India serving a broad range of customers in urban, semi-urban and rural regions. As of March 31, 2016, we had 4,520 branches and 12,000 ATMs in 2,587 cities and towns and over 37 million customers. Our branch network is further complemented by our digital strategy, including online and mobile banking solutions, to provide our customers with access to on-demand banking services, which we believe allows us to develop strong and loyal relationships with our customers.

We provide a wide range of products and high quality service to our clients in order to meet their banking needs

Whether in retail banking, wholesale banking or treasury operations, we consider ourselves a “one-stop shop” for our customers’ banking needs. This includes the services that we can provide to our customers, both directly and indirectly through back-office operational execution and the range of products we offer. We consider our high quality service to be a vital component of our business and believe in pursuing excellence in execution through multiple internal initiatives focused on continuous executional improvements. This pursuit of high quality service and operational execution directly supports our ability to offer a wide range of banking products. Our retail banking products range from retail loans to deposit products and other products and services, such as private banking, depositary accounts, foreign exchange services, distribution of third party products (such as insurance and mutual funds), bill payments and sales of gold and silver bullion. In addition, we offer our customers brokerage accounts through our subsidiary HSL. On the wholesale banking side, we offer customers working capital loans, term loans, bill collections, letters of credit and guarantees and foreign exchange and derivative products. We also offer a range of deposit and transaction banking services such as cash management, custodial and clearing bank services and correspondent banking. We collect taxes for the government and are bankers to companies in respect of issuances of equity shares and bonds to the public. We are able to provide this wide range of products across our branch network, meaning we can provide our targeted rural customers with banking products and services similar to those provided to our urban customers, which we believe gives us a competitive advantage. Our wide range of products and focus on superior service and execution also create multiple cross-selling opportunities for us and, we believe, promote customer retention.

 

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We have achieved robust and consistent financial performance while preserving asset quality during our growth

On account of our superior operational execution, broad range of products, expansion in our geographical reach and the resultant increase in market penetration through our extensive branch network, our assets have grown from Rs. 6,259.0 billion as of March 31, 2015 to Rs. 7,736.7 billion as of March 31, 2016. Our net income has increased from Rs. 99.2 billion for fiscal 2015 to Rs. 117.9 billion for fiscal 2016. In addition to the significant growth in our assets and net revenue, we remain focused on maintaining a high level of asset quality. Our gross non-performing customer assets as a percentage of total customer assets was 1.0% as of March 31, 2016 and our net non-performing customer assets was 0.4% of net customer assets. Our net interest margin was 4.8% in fiscal 2015 and 4.6% in fiscal 2016, net income as a percentage of average total shareholders’ equity was 16.1% in fiscal 2015 and 14.4% in fiscal 2016 and net income as a percentage of average total assets was 1.9% in fiscal 2015 and 1.7% in fiscal 2016. Our current and savings account deposits as a percentage of our total deposits were 43.3% as of March 31, 2016.

We have an advanced technology platform

We continue to make substantial investments in our advanced technology platform and systems and expand our electronically linked branch network. We have implemented mobile data based networking options in semi-urban and rural areas where telecom infrastructure and data connectivity are weak. These networks have enabled us to improve our core banking services in such areas and provide a link between our branches and data centers.

We are constantly working to develop new technology and improve the digital aspects of our business. Certain major technological developments include the introduction of our bilingual mobile banking application and person-to-person smartphone payment solution, Chillr, the introduction of PayZapp with SmartBuy, a comprehensive and convenient secure payment system to improve our e-commerce processing capabilities, and the creation of a virtual relationship manager for high net worth customers. Continuing this important theme of digitization, we have appointed a dedicated digital innovation team to research and experiment with technology and, in March 2016, hosted the first Digital Innovation Summit to attract new talent and business opportunities from the financial technology space.

In addition, we have developed robust data analytics capabilities that allow us to market and cross-sell our products to customers through both traditional relationship management and interactive, on-demand methods depending on how particular customers choose to interact with us. We have also implemented state-of-the-art engineered systems technology for some of the important backend operational systems, including doubling the capacity of our operational customer relationship management system. We believe that our direct banking platforms are stable and robust, enabling new ways to connect with our customers to cross-sell various products and improve customer retention.

We have an experienced management team

Many of the members of our management have had a long tenure with us, which gives us a deep bench of experienced managers. They have substantial experience in banking or other industries and share our common vision of excellence in execution. Having a management team with such breadth and depth of experience is well suited to leverage the competitive strengths we have already developed across our large, diverse and growing branch network as well as allowing our management team to focus on creating new opportunities for our business. See also the section “Management”.

 

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Our Business Strategy

Our business strategy emphasizes the following elements:

Increase our market share of India’s expanding banking and financial services industry

In addition to benefiting from the overall growth in India’s economy and financial services industry, we believe we can increase our market share by continuing to focus on our competitive strengths, including our strong HDFC Bank brand and our extensive branch and ATM networks, to increase our market penetration.

Increase our geographical reach

As of March 31, 2016, we had 4,520 branches, 12,000 ATMs in 2,587 cities and towns. We believe we can continue expanding our branch footprint, particularly by focusing on rural and semi-urban areas. We believe these areas represent a significant opportunity for our continued growth as we expand banking services to those areas which have traditionally been underserved and which, by entering such markets, will enable us to establish new customer bases. We also believe that delivering banking services which are integrated with our existing business and product groups helps us to provide viable opportunities to the sections of the rural and semi-urban customer base that is consistent with our targeted customer profile throughout India.

Cross-sell our broad financial product portfolio across our customer base

We are able to offer our complete suite of financial products across our branch network, including in our rural locations. By matching our broad customer base with our ability to offer our complete suite of products to both rural and urban customers across the retail banking, wholesale banking and treasury product lines, we believe that we can continue to generate organic growth by cross-selling different products by proactively offering our customers complementary products as their relationships with us develop and their financial needs grow and evolve.

Continue our investments in technology to support our digital strategy

We believe the increased availability of internet access and broadband connectivity across India requires a comprehensive digital strategy to proactively develop new methods of reaching our customers. As a result, we are continuously investing in technology as a means of improving our customers’ banking experience, offering them a range of products tailored to their financial needs and making it easier for them to interact with their banking accounts with us. We believe our culture of innovation and development to be crucial to remaining competitive. As part of our dedication to digitization and technological development, we have appointed a digital innovation team to research, develop and experiment with new technologies, and, in March 2016, we hosted a Digital Innovation Summit to tap into emerging technological trends that are shaping the financial technology space.

While we currently provide a range of options for customers to access their accounts, including net banking, telephone banking, and banking applications on mobile devices, we believe additional investments in our technology infrastructure to further develop our digital strategy will allow us to cross-sell a wider range of products on our digital platform in response to our customers’ needs and thereby expand our relationship with our customers across a range of customer segments. We believe a comprehensive digital strategy will provide benefits in developing long-term customer relationships by allowing customers to interact with us and access their accounts wherever and whenever they desire.

Maintain strong asset quality through disciplined credit risk management

We have maintained high quality loan and investment portfolios through careful targeting of our customer base, and by putting in place what we believe are comprehensive risk assessment processes and diligent risk monitoring and remediation procedures. Our gross non-performing customer assets as a percentage of total customer gross assets was 1.0% as of March 31, 2016 and our net non-performing customer assets as a percentage of net customer assets was 0.4% as of March 31, 2016. As of March 31, 2016, our gross restructured loans as a percentage of gross non-performing loans were 8.0%. We believe we can maintain strong asset quality appropriate to the loan portfolio composition while achieving growth.

Maintain a low cost of funds

We believe we can maintain a relatively low-cost funding base as compared to our competitors, by leveraging our strengths and expanding our base of retail savings and current deposits and increasing the free float generated by transaction services, such as cash management and stock exchange clearing. Our average cost of funds (including equity) was at 5.0% for fiscal 2015 and 4.9% for the fiscal 2016.

 

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Our Principal Business Activities

Our principal business activities consist of retail banking, wholesale banking and treasury operations. The following table sets forth our net revenues attributable to each area for the last three years:

 

    Year ended March 31,  
    2014     2015     2016  
    (in millions, except percentages)  

Retail banking

    Rs.199,306.9        81.0     Rs.245,670.7        82.2     Rs.304,223.4      US$ 4,592.0        82.7

Wholesale banking

    39,302.8        16.0     45,416.6        15.2     48,340.9        729.7        13.1

Treasury operations

    7,368.8        3.0     7,910.3        2.6     15,099.8        227.9        4.2

Net revenue

    Rs.245,978.5        100.0     Rs.298,997.6        100.0     Rs.367,664.1      US$ 5,549.6        100.0

Retail Banking

Overview

We consider ourselves a one-stop shop for the financial needs of upper and middle income individuals. We provide a comprehensive range of financial products including deposit products, loans, credit cards, debit cards, third-party mutual funds and insurance products, investment advice, bill payment services and other services. Our retail banking loan products include loans to small and medium enterprises for commercial vehicles, construction equipment and other business purposes, which together account for more than a third of our total retail banking loans. We group these loans as part of our retail banking business considering, among other things, the customer profile, the nature of the product, the differing risks and returns, our organization structure and our internal business reporting mechanism. Such grouping ensures optimum utilization and deployment of specialized resources in our retail banking business. We also have specific products designed for lower income individuals through our Sustainable Livelihood Initiative (SLI). Through this initiative, we reach out to the un-banked and under-banked segments of the Indian population.

We actively market our services through our branches and alternate sales channels, as well as through our relationships with automobile dealers and corporate clients. We seek to establish a relationship with a retail customer and then expand it by offering more products. As part of our growth strategy, we continue to expand our distribution channels to make it easier for the customer to do business with us. We believe this strategy, together with the general growth of the Indian economy and the Indian upper and middle classes, affords us significant opportunities for growth.

As of March 31, 2016, we had 4,520 branches and 12,000 ATMs in 2,587 cities and towns. We also provide telephone banking, internet and mobile banking to our customers. We plan to continue to expand our branch and ATM network as well as our other distribution channels, subject to regulatory guidelines/approvals.

 

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Retail Loans and Other Asset Products

We offer a wide range of retail loans, including loans for the purchase of automobiles, personal loans, retail business banking loans, loans for the purchase of commercial vehicles and construction equipment finance, two-wheeler loans, credit cards and loans against securities. Our retail loans were 69.3% of our gross loans of which 18.8% were unsecured as of March 31, 2016. Apart from our branches, we use our ATMs and the internet to promote our loan products and we employ additional sales methods depending on the type of products. We perform our own credit analysis of the borrowers and the value of the collateral if the loan is secured. See “—Risk Management Credit Risk—Retail Credit Risk”. We also buy mortgage and other asset-backed securities and invest in retail loan portfolios through assignments. In addition to taking collateral, in many cases, we generally obtain post-dated checks covering all payments at the time a retail loan is made. It is a criminal offense in India to issue a bad check. We also occasionally obtain instructions to debit the customer’s account directly for making payments. Our unsecured personal loans, which are not supported by any collateral, are a greater credit risk for us than our secured loan portfolio. We may be unable to collect in part or at all on an unsecured personal loan in the event of non-payment by the borrower. Accordingly, personal loans are granted at a higher contracted interest rate since they carry a higher credit risk as compared to secured loans. Also see “Risk Factors—Our unsecured loan portfolio is not supported by any collateral that could help ensure repayment of the loan, and in the event of non-payment by a borrower of one of these loans, we may be unable to collect the unpaid balance”.

The following table shows the gross book value and share of our retail credit products:

 

     At March 31, 2016 Value      % of Total Value  
     (in millions)         

Retail Assets:

        

Auto loans

   Rs. 589,010.3       US$ 8,890.7         16.9

Personal loans / Credit Cards

     626,152.2         9,451.4         18.0

Retail business banking

     791,857.3         11,952.6         22.8

Commercial vehicle and construction equipment finance

     369,992.4         5,584.8         10.6

Housing loans

     318,692.0         4,810.4         9.2

Other Retail Loans

     762,861.5         11,514.8         21.9

Total retail loans

     3,458,565.7         52,204.7         99.4

Mortgage-backed securities

     667.7         10.1         —  

Asset-backed securities

     19,179.8         289.5         0.6

Total retail assets

   Rs. 3,478,413.2       US$ 52,504.3         100.0

 

Note: The figures above exclude securitized-out receivables. Mortgaged-backed securities and asset-backed securities are reflected at fair values.

Auto Loans

We offer loans at fixed interest rates for financing new and used automobile purchases. In addition to our general marketing efforts for retail loans, we market this product through our relationships with car dealers, direct sales agents, corporate packages and joint promotion programs with automobile manufacturers.

 

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Personal Loans/ Credit Cards

We offer unsecured personal loans at fixed rates to specific customer segments, including salaried individuals and self-employed professionals. In addition, we offer unsecured personal loans to small businesses and individual businessmen.

We also offer credit cards from the VISA and MasterCard ranges, including gold, silver, corporate, platinum, titanium, signature, infinite, regalia, superia and world credit cards. During fiscal 2016, the Bank launched three co-brand premium variants under the Diners brand along with Jet, Snap deal, and Maruti Nexa. This enables the Bank to cater to the specific needs of super-premium customers requiring global card benefits. We had approximately 6.0 million and 7.3 million cards outstanding as of March 31, 2015 and March 31, 2016, respectively.

Retail Business Banking

We address the borrowing needs of the community of small businessmen primarily located near our bank branches by offering facilities such as credit lines, term loans for expansion or addition of facilities and discounting of receivables. We classify these business banking loans as a retail product. Such lending is typically secured with current assets as well as immovable property and fixed assets in some cases. We also offer letters of credit, guarantees and other basic trade finance products, foreign exchange and cash management services to such businesses.

Commercial Vehicles and Construction Equipment Finance

We provide secured financing for commercial vehicles and provide working capital, bank guarantees and trade advances to transport operators. In addition to funding domestic assets, we also finance imported assets for which we open foreign letters of credit and offer treasury services, such as forward exchange covers. We coordinate with manufacturers to jointly promote our financing options to their clients.

Housing Loans

We provide home loans through an arrangement with our principal shareholder HDFC Limited. Under this arrangement, we sell loans provided by HDFC Limited through our branches. HDFC Limited approves and disburses the loans, which are kept on their books, and we receive a sourcing fee for these loans. We have an option, but not an obligation, to purchase up to 70% of the fully disbursed home loans sourced under this arrangement through either the issue of mortgage-backed pass through certificates (PTCs) or a direct assignment of the loans. The balance is retained by HDFC Limited.

Other Retail Loans

Two-Wheeler Loans

We offer loans for financing the purchase of scooters and motorcycles. We market this product in ways similar to our marketing of auto loans.

Loans Against Securities

We offer loans against equity shares, mutual fund units, bonds and other securities that are on our approved list. We limit our loans against equity shares to Rs. 2.0 million per retail customer in line with regulatory guidelines and limit the amount of our total exposure secured by particular securities. We lend only against shares in book-entry (dematerialized) form, which ensures that we obtain perfected and first-priority security interests. The minimum margin for lending against shares is prescribed by the RBI.

We also offer loans which primarily include overdrafts against time deposits, health care equipment financing loans, tractor loans, loans against gold and ornaments, loans to self-help groups and small loans to farmers.

 

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Loan Assignments

We purchase loan portfolios, generally in India, from other banks, financial institutions and financial companies, which are similar to asset-backed securities, except that such loans are not represented by PTCs. Some of these loans also qualify toward our directed lending obligations.

Kisan Gold Card (Agri Loans)

Under the Kisan Gold Card, funds are extended to farmers in accordance with the RBI’s Kisan Credit Card (KCC) scheme in order to assist the farmers in financing certain farming expenses, such as the production of crops, post-harvest repair and maintenance and the domestic consumption needs of the farmers. The amount of funding available is based on the farmer’s cropping pattern, the amount of land under utilization and the scale of financing and asset costs. The Bank offers both cash credit and term loan facilities under this product.

Loans Against Gold Jewelry

We offer loans against gold jewelry to specific customer segments, including women and farmers. Such loans are offered with monthly interest payments and a bullet maturity. These loans also have margin requirements in the event of a decrease in the value of the gold collateral due to fluctuations in market prices of gold. Loans against gold jewelry are also extended to existing auto loan, personal loan or home loan customers in order to cater to their additional funding needs.

Retail Deposit Products

Retail deposits provide us with a low cost, stable funding base and have been a key focus area for us since commencing operations. Retail deposits represented approximately 79.8% of our total deposits as of March 31, 2016. The following chart shows the book value of our retail deposits by our various deposit products:

 

     At March 31, 2016  
     Value (in millions)      % of total  

Savings

     Rs.1,441,762.0       US$ 21,762.4         33.0

Current

     498,962.3         7,531.5         11.5

Time

     2,416,720.6         36,478.8         55.5

Total

     Rs.4,357,444.9       US$ 65,772.7         100.0

Our individual retail account holders have access to the benefits of a wide range of direct banking services, including debit and ATM cards, access to internet and phone banking services, access to our growing branch and ATM network, access to our other distribution channels and eligibility for utility bill payments and other services. Our retail deposit products include the following:

 

    Savings accounts, which are demand deposits, primarily for individuals and trusts.

 

    Current accounts, which are non-interest bearing checking accounts designed primarily for business customers. Customers have a choice of regular and premium product offerings with different minimum average quarterly account balance requirements.

 

    Time deposits, which pay a fixed return over a predetermined time period.

We also offer special value-added accounts, which offer our customers added value and convenience. These include a time deposit account that allows for automatic transfers from a time deposit account to a savings account, as well as a time deposit account with an automatic overdraft facility.

 

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Other Retail Services and Products

Debit Cards

We had around 21.6 million and 23.0 million debit cards outstanding as of March 31, 2015 and March 31, 2016, respectively. The cards can be used at ATMs and point-of-sales terminals in India and in other countries across the world.

Individual Depositary Accounts

We provide depositary accounts to individual retail customers for holding debt and equity instruments. Securities traded on the Indian exchanges are generally not held through a broker’s account or in a street name. Instead, an individual has his or her own account with a depositary participant. Depositary participants, including us, provide services through the major depositaries established by the two major stock exchanges. Depositary participants record ownership details and effectuate transfers in book-entry form on behalf of the buyers and sellers of securities. We provide a complete package of services, including account opening, registration of transfers and other transactions and information reporting.

Mutual Fund Sales

We offer our retail customers units in most of the large and reputable mutual funds in India. In some cases, we earn front-end commissions for new sales and additional fees in subsequent years. We distribute mutual fund products primarily through our branches and our private banking advisors.

Insurance

We have arrangements with HDFC Standard Life Insurance Company Limited and HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company Limited to distribute their life insurance and general insurance products, respectively, to our customers. We earn upfront commissions on new premiums collected as well as some trailing income in subsequent years in certain cases while the policy is still in force. Our commission income for fiscal 2016 includes fees of Rs. 6,617.5 million in respect of life insurance business and Rs. 1,561.3 million in respect of general insurance business.

Investment Advice

We offer our customers a broad range of investment advice, including advice regarding the purchase of Indian debt, equity shares and mutual funds. We provide our high net worth private banking customers with a personal investment advisor who can consult with them on their individual investment needs. We have also created a virtual relationship manager for our high net worth customers, which is available at any time through a secure video interface.

Bill Payment Services

We offer our customers utility bill payment services for leading utility companies, including electricity, telephone and internet service providers. Customers can also review and access their bill details through our direct banking channels. We believe this is a valuable convenience that we offer our customers. We offer these services to customers through multiple distribution channels—ATMs, telephone banking, internet banking and mobile telephone banking.

Corporate Salary Accounts

We offer Corporate Salary Accounts, which allow employers to make salary payments to a group of employees with a single transfer. We then transfer the funds into the employees’ individual accounts and offer them preferred services, such as lower minimum balance requirements. As of March 31, 2016, these accounts constituted approximately 29% of our savings deposits by value.

 

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Non-Resident Indian Services

Non-resident Indians are an important target market segment for us given their relative affluence and strong ties with family members in India. Our non-resident deposits amounted to Rs. 846.8 billion as of March 31, 2016.

Retail Foreign Exchange

We purchase foreign currency from and sell foreign currency to retail customers in the form of cash, traveler’s checks, demand drafts, foreign exchange cards and other remittances. We also carry out foreign currency check collections.

Customers and Marketing

Our target market for our retail services is comprised of upper and middle income individuals and high net worth customers. As of March 31, 2016, around 20% of our retail deposit customers contributed approximately 81% of our retail deposits. We market our products through our branches, telemarketing and a dedicated sales staff for niche market segments. We also use third-party agents and direct sales associates to market certain products and to identify prospective new customers.

Additionally, we obtain new customers through joint marketing efforts with our wholesale banking department, such as our Corporate Salary Account package and we cross-sell many of our retail products to our customers. We also market our auto loan and two-wheeler loan products through joint efforts with relevant manufacturers and distributors.

We have programs that target other particular segments of the retail market. For example, our private and preferred banking programs provide customized financial planning to high net worth individuals. Private banking customers receive a personal investment advisor who serves as their single-point contact and compiles personalized portfolio tracking products, including mutual fund and equity tracking statements. Our private banking program also offers equity investment advisory products. While not as service-intensive as our private banking program, preferred banking offers similar services to a slightly broader target segment. Top revenue-generating customers of our preferred banking program are channeled into our private banking program.

We also have a strong commitment to financial inclusion programs to extend banking services to underserved populations. Our SLI targets lower income individuals to finance their economic activity, and also provide skill training, credit counseling, and market linkages for better price discovery. Through this initiative we reach out to the un-banked and under-banked segments of the Indian population.

Wholesale Banking

Overview

We provide our corporate and institutional clients a wide array of commercial banking products and transactional services.

Our principal commercial banking products include a range of financing products, documentary credits (primarily letters of credit) and bank guarantees, foreign exchange and derivative products, investment banking services and corporate deposit products. Our financing products include loans, overdrafts, bill discounting and credit substitutes, such as commercial papers, debentures, preference shares and other funded products. Our foreign exchange and derivatives products assist corporations in managing their currency and interest rate exposures.

For our commercial banking products, our customers include companies that are part of private sector business houses, public sector enterprises and multinational corporations, as well as small and mid-sized businesses. Our customers also include suppliers and distributors of corporations to whom we provide credit facilities and with whom we thereby establish relationships as part of a supply chain initiative for both our commercial banking products and transactional services. We aim to provide our corporate customers with high quality customized service. We have relationship managers who focus on particular clients and who work with teams that specialize in providing specific products and services, such as cash management and treasury advisory services.

 

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Loans to small and medium enterprises, which are generally in the nature of loans for commercial vehicles, construction equipment and business purposes, are included as part of our retail banking business. We group these loans as part of our retail banking business considering, among other things, the customer profile, the nature of the product, the differing risks and returns, our organization structure and our internal business reporting mechanism. Such grouping ensures optimum utilization and deployment of specialized resources in our retail banking business.

Our principal transactional services include cash management services, capital markets transactional services and correspondent banking services. We provide physical and electronic payment and collection mechanisms to a range of corporations, financial institutions and government entities. Our capital markets transactional services include custodial services for mutual funds and clearing bank services for the major Indian stock exchanges and commodity exchanges. In addition, we provide correspondent banking services, including cash management services and funds transfers, to foreign banks and co-operative banks.

Commercial Banking Products

Commercial Loan Products and Credit Substitutes

Our principal financing products are working capital facilities and term loans. Working capital facilities primarily consist of cash credit facilities and bill discounting. Cash credit facilities are revolving credits provided to our customers that are secured by working capital such as inventory and accounts receivable. Bill discounting consists of short-term loans which are secured by bills of exchange that have been accepted by our customers or drawn on another bank. In many cases, we provide a package of working capital financing that may consist of loans and a cash credit facility as well as documentary credits or bank guarantees. Term loans consist of short-term loans and medium-term loans which are typically loans of up to five years in duration. Approximately 90% of our loans are denominated in rupees with the balance being denominated in various foreign currencies, principally the U.S. dollar.

We also purchase credit substitutes, which are typically comprised of commercial paper and debentures issued by the same customers with whom we have a lending relationship in our wholesale banking business. Investment decisions for credit substitute securities are subject to the same credit approval processes as loans, and we bear the same customer risk as we do for loans extended to these customers. Additionally, the yield and maturity terms are generally directly negotiated by us with the issuer.

The following table sets forth the asset allocation of our commercial loans and financing products by asset type. For accounting purposes, we classify commercial paper and debentures as credit substitutes (which in turn are classified as investments).

 

     As of March 31,  
     2014      2015      2016      2016  
     (in millions)  

Gross commercial loans

   Rs. 1,039,923.6       Rs. 1,222,460.6       Rs. 1,534,268.7       US$ 23,158.8   

Credit substitutes:

           

Commercial paper

   Rs. 42,031.6       Rs. 180,198.6       Rs. 258,006.4       US$ 3,894.5   

Non-convertible debentures

     23,115.5         14,860.3         39,234.6         592.2   

Total credit substitutes

   Rs. 65,147.1       Rs. 195,058.9       Rs. 297,241.0       US$ 4,486.7   

Gross commercial loans plus credit substitutes

   Rs. 1,105,070.7       Rs. 1,417,519.5       Rs. 1,831,509.7       US$ 27,645.5   

While we generally lend on a cash-flow basis, we also require collateral from a large number of our borrowers. As of March 31, 2016, approximately 71.4% of the aggregate principal amount of our gross wholesale loans was secured by collateral (approximately Rs. 438.9 billion in aggregate principal amount of loans were unsecured). However, collateral securing each individual loan may not be adequate in relation to the value of the loan. All borrowers must meet our internal credit assessment procedures, regardless of whether the loan is secured. See “—Risk Management—Credit Risk—Wholesale Credit Risk”.

 

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We price our loans based on a combination of our own cost of funds, market rates, tenor of the loan, our rating of the customer and the overall revenues from the customer. An individual loan is priced on a fixed or floating rate and the pricing is based on a margin that depends on the credit assessment of the borrower. We are required to follow the Base Rate System while pricing our loans. For a detailed discussion of these requirements, see “Supervision and Regulation—Regulations Relating to Making Loans”.

The RBI requires banks to lend to specific sectors of the economy. For a detailed discussion of these requirements, see “Supervision and Regulation—Directed Lending”.

Bill Collection, Documentary Credits and Bank Guarantees

We provide bill collection, documentary credit facilities and bank guarantees for our corporate customers. Documentary credits and bank guarantees are typically provided on a revolving basis. The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, the value of transactions processed with respect to our bill collection, documentary credits and bank guarantees:

 

     As of March 31,  
     2014      2015      2016      2016  
     (in millions)  

Bill collection

     Rs.3,609,043.4         Rs.3,288,490.0         Rs.3,595,361.1       US$ 54,269.6   

Documentary credits

     785,059.7         1,020,077.1         982,710.6         14,833.4   

Bank guarantees

     275,705.6         221,658.3         241,990.0         3,652.7   

Total

     Rs.4,669,808.7         Rs.4,530,225.4         Rs.4,820,061.7       US$ 72,755.7   

Bill collection: We provide bill collection services for our corporate clients in which we collect bills on behalf of a corporate client from the bank of our client’s customer. We do not advance funds to our client until receipt of payment.

Documentary credits: We issue documentary credit facilities on behalf of our customers for trade financing, sourcing of raw materials and capital equipment purchases.

Bank guarantees: We provide bank guarantees on behalf of our customers to guarantee their payment or performance obligations. A small part of our guarantee portfolio consists of margin guarantees to brokers issued in favor of stock exchanges.

Foreign Exchange and Derivatives

Our foreign exchange and derivative product offering to our customers covers a range of products, including foreign exchange and interest rate transactions and hedging solutions, such as spot and forward foreign exchange contracts, forward rate agreements, currency swaps, currency options and interest rate derivatives. These transactions enable our customers to transfer, modify or reduce their foreign exchange and interest rate risks. A specified group of relationship managers from our treasury front office works on such product offerings jointly with the relationship managers from Wholesale Banking.

Forward exchange contracts are commitments to buy or sell foreign currency at a future date at the contracted rate. Currency swaps are commitments to exchange cash flows by way of interest in one currency against another currency and exchange of principal amounts at maturity based on predetermined rates. Rupee interest rate swaps are commitments to exchange fixed and floating rate cash flows in rupees. A forward rate agreement gives the buyer the ability to determine the underlying rate of interest for a specified period commencing on a specified future date (the settlement date) when the settlement amount is determined being the difference between the contracted rate and the market rate on the settlement date. Currency options give the buyer the right, but not an obligation, to buy or sell specified amounts of currency at agreed rates of exchange on or before a specified future date.

We enter into forward exchange contracts, currency options, forward rate agreements, currency swaps and rupee interest rate swaps with our customers, similar to our transactions with inter-bank participants. To support our clients’ activities, we are an active participant in the Indian inter-bank foreign exchange market. We also trade, to a more limited extent, for our own account. We also engage in proprietary trades of interest rate swaps and use them as part of our asset liability management.

 

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The following table presents the aggregate notional principal amounts of our outstanding foreign exchange and derivative contracts with our customers as of March 31, 2014, 2015 and 2016, together with the fair values on each reporting date.

 

    As of March 31,  
    2014     2015     2016     2016  
    Notional     Fair Value     Notional     Fair Value     Notional     Fair Value     Notional     Fair Value  
    (In millions)  

Interest rate swaps and forward rate agreements

  Rs. 214,014.0      Rs. 653.5      Rs. 569,533.5      Rs. (509.5)      Rs. 528,589.7      Rs. (2,165.2)      US$ 7,978.7      US$ (32.6)   

Forward exchange contracts, currency swaps, currency options and interest rate caps and floors

  Rs. 543,568.8      Rs. 5,536.3      Rs. 646,173.8      Rs. (1,968.4)      Rs. 809,002.2      Rs. 3,166.4      US$ 12,211.4      US$ 47.8   

Investment Banking

Our Investment Banking Group offers services in the debt and equity capital markets. The group has arranged project financing for clients across various sectors including telecom, toll roads, healthcare, energy, fertilisers and cement. The group advised on aggregate issuances of over Rs. 300 billion worth of corporate bonds across public sector undertakings, financial institutions and the Bank’s corporate clients during fiscal 2016, becoming the second largest corporate bond arranger in the market for fiscal 2016. In the advisory business, the Bank advised and closed transactions in the dairy and pharmaceutical sectors. In the equity capital markets business, the group concluded the initial public offering of an auto ancillary company during fiscal year 2016 and is currently advising clients on initial public offerings and rights issues.

Wholesale Deposit Products

As of March 31, 2016, we had wholesale deposits aggregating over Rs. 1,100.4 billion, which represented 20.2% of our total deposits. We offer both non-interest bearing current accounts and time deposits. We are allowed to vary the interest rates on our wholesale deposits based on the size of the deposit (for deposits greater than Rs. 10.0 million), provided the rates booked on a day are the same for all customers of that deposit size for that maturity. See “Selected Statistical Information ” for further information about our total deposits.

Transactional Services

Cash Management Services

We provide cash management services in India. Our services make it easier for our corporate customers to expedite inter-city check collections, make payments to their suppliers more efficiently, optimize liquidity and reduce interest costs. In addition to benefiting from the cash float, which reduces our overall cost of funds, we may also earn commissions for these services.

Our primary cash management service is check collection and payment. Through our electronically linked branch network, correspondent bank arrangements and centralized processing, we can effectively provide nationwide collection and disbursement systems for our corporate clients. This is especially important because there is no nationwide payment system in India and checks must generally be returned to the city in which they were written in order to be cleared. Because of mail delivery delays and the variations in city-based inter-bank clearing practices, check collections can be slow and unpredictable and can lead to uncertainty and inefficiencies in cash management. We believe we have a strong position in this area relative to most other participants in this market.

Our wholesale banking clients also use our cash management services. These clients include Indian private sector companies, public sector undertakings and multinational companies. We also provide these services to Indian insurance companies, mutual funds, brokers, financial institutions and various government entities.

 

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We have also implemented a straight-through processing solution to link our wholesale banking and retail banking systems. This has led to reduced manual intervention in transferring funds between the corporate accounts which are in the wholesale banking system and beneficiary accounts residing in retail banking systems. This initiative helps reduce transaction costs. We have a large number of commercial clients using our corporate internet banking for financial transactions with their vendors, dealers and employees who bank with us.

Clearing Bank Services for Stock and Commodity Exchanges

We serve as a cash-clearing bank for major stock and commodity exchanges in India, including the National Stock Exchange of India Limited and the BSE Limited. As a clearing bank, we provide the exchanges or their clearing corporations with a means for collecting cash payments due to them from their members or custodians and a means of making payments to these institutions. We make payments once the broker or custodian deposits the funds with us. In addition to benefiting from the cash float, which reduces our overall cost of funds, we also earn commissions on such services in certain cases.

Custodial Services

We provide custodial services principally to Indian mutual funds, as well as to domestic and international financial institutions. These services include safekeeping of securities and collection of dividend and interest payments on securities. Most of the securities under our custody are in book-entry (dematerialized) form, although we provide custody for securities in physical form as well for our wholesale banking clients. We earn revenue from these services based on the value of assets under safekeeping and the value of transactions handled.

Correspondent Banking Services

We act as a correspondent bank for co-operative banks, co-operative societies and foreign banks. We provide cash management services, funds transfers and services, such as letters of credit, foreign exchange transactions and foreign check collection. We earn revenue on a fee-for-service basis and benefit from the cash float, which reduces our overall cost of funds.

We are well-positioned to offer this service to co-operative banks and foreign banks in light of the structure of the Indian banking industry and our position within it. Co-operative banks are generally restricted to a particular state and foreign banks have limited branch networks. The customers of these banks frequently need services in other areas of the country where their own banks cannot provide. Because of our technology platforms, our geographical reach and the electronic connectivity of our branch network, we can provide these banks with the ability to provide such services to their customers.

Tax Collections

We have been appointed by the Government of India to collect direct taxes. In fiscal year ended March 31, 2015 and March 31, 2016, we collected Rs. 1,690 billion and Rs. 1,885 billion, respectively, of direct taxes for the Government of India. We are also appointed to collect sales, excise and service tax within certain jurisdictions in India. In fiscal year ended March 31, 2015 and March 31, 2016, we collected Rs. 870 billion and Rs. 1,246 billion, respectively, of such indirect taxes for the Government of India and relevant state governments. We earn a fee from the Government of India for each tax collection and benefit from the cash float. We hope to expand our range of transactional services by providing more services to government entities.

Treasury

Overview

Our treasury group manages our balance sheet, including our maintenance of reserve requirements and the management of market and liquidity risk. Our treasury group also provides advice and execution services to our corporate and institutional customers with respect to their foreign exchange and derivatives transactions. In addition, our treasury group seeks to optimize profits from our proprietary trading, which is principally concentrated on Indian government securities.

 

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Our client-based activities consist primarily of advising corporate and institutional customers and transacting spot and forward foreign exchange contracts and derivatives. Our primary customers are multinational corporations, large and medium sized domestic corporations, financial institutions, banks and public sector undertakings. We also advise and enter into foreign exchange contracts with some small companies and non-resident Indians.

The following describes our activities in the foreign exchange and derivatives markets, domestic money markets and debt securities desk and equities market. See also “— Risk Management” for a discussion of our management of market risk.

Foreign Exchange and Derivatives

We enter into forward exchange contracts, currency options, forward rate agreements, currency swaps and rupee interest rate swaps with inter-bank participants. To support our clients’ activities, we are an active participant in the Indian inter-bank foreign exchange market. We also trade, to a more limited extent, for our own account. We also engage in proprietary trades of rupee-based interest rate swaps and use them as part of our asset liability management. Forward exchange contracts are commitments to buy or sell foreign currency at a future date at the contracted rate. Currency swaps are commitments to exchange cash flows by way of interest in one currency against another currency and exchange of principal amounts at maturity based on predetermined rates. Rupee interest rate swaps are commitments to exchange fixed and floating rate cash flows in rupees. A forward rate agreement gives the buyer the ability to determine the underlying rate of interest for a specified period commencing on a specified future date (the settlement date) when the settlement amount is determined being the difference between the contracted rate and the market rate on the settlement date. Currency options give the buyer the right, but not an obligation, to buy or sell specified amounts of currency at agreed rates of exchange on or before a specified future date.

The following table presents the aggregate notional principal amounts of our outstanding foreign exchange and derivative inter-bank contracts as of March 31, 2014, 2015 and 2016, together with the fair values on each reporting date:

 

    As of March 31,  
    2014     2015     2016     2016  
    Notional     Fair Value     Notional     Fair Value     Notional     Fair Value     Notional     Fair Value  
    (In millions)  

Interest rate swaps and forward rate agreements

  Rs. 1,558,644.7      Rs. (2,127.8)        Rs.1,648,897.2      Rs. 179.6      Rs. 1,678,786.7      Rs. 1,552.1      US$ 25,340.2      US$ 23.4   

Forward exchange contracts, currency swaps, currency options and interest rate caps and floors

  Rs. 4,447,254.1      Rs. 14,241.0        Rs.6,309,696.1      Rs. 2,946.5      Rs. 4,844,850.6      Rs. 4,087.3      US$ 73,129.8      US$ 61.7   

Domestic Money Market and Debt Securities Desk

Our principal activity in the domestic money market and debt securities market is to ensure that we comply with our reserve requirements. These consist of a cash reserve ratio, which we meet by maintaining balances with the RBI, and a statutory liquidity ratio, which we meet by purchasing Indian government securities. See also “Supervision and Regulation—Legal Reserve Requirements ”. Our local currency desk primarily trades Indian government securities for our own account. We also participate in the inter-bank call deposit market and engage in limited trading of other debt instruments.

Equities Market

We trade a limited amount of equities of Indian companies for our own account. As of March 31, 2016, we had an internal aggregate approved limit of Rs. 300 million for market purchases and Rs. 100 million (defined as a sub-limit of the aggregate approved limit) for primary purchases of equity investments for proprietary trading. Our exposure as of March 31, 2016 was within these limits. We set limits on the amount invested in any individual company as well as stop-loss limits.

 

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Distribution Channels

We deliver our products and services through a variety of distribution channels, including branches, ATMs, telephone and mobile telephone banking and internet banking.

Branches

As of March 31, 2016, we had an aggregate of 4,520 branches covering 2,587 cities and towns. All of our branches are electronically linked so that our customers can access their accounts from any branch regardless of where they have their accounts.

Almost all of our branches focus exclusively on providing retail services and products, though a few also provide wholesale banking services. The range of products and services available at each branch depends in part on the size and location of the branch. We offer various banking services to our customers through our arrangements with correspondent banks and exchange houses in overseas locations.

As part of its branch licensing conditions, the RBI requires that at least 25% of all incremental branches added during the year be located in unbanked rural areas. As per the guidelines contained in the RBI master circular dated July 1, 2014, a rural area is defined as a center with a population up to 10,000 (based on the 2001 census conducted by the Government of India). As of March 31, 2016, 496 of our branches are in unbanked areas. With the objective of liberalizing and rationalizing the branch licensing process, the RBI granted general permission, effective from October 2013, to banks like us to open branches in Tier 1 to Tier 6 centers, subject to a requirement to report to the RBI and other prescribed conditions. See “Supervision and Regulation”.

We have representative offices in the United Arab Emirates and Kenya and have a wholesale banking branch in Bahrain. We also have a full service banking branch in Hong Kong. In August 2014, we opened a branch in the Dubai International Financial Center (DIFC) in Dubai where certain activities such as arranging credit or deals in investments, advising on financial products or credit and arranging custodian services will be carried out. Through these branches, we provide services to Indian corporates and their affiliates to cater to their international banking requirements, as well as to retail customers.

Automated Teller Machines

As of March 31, 2016, we had a total of 12,000 ATMs, of which 5,541 were located at our branches or extension counters and 6,459 were located off site, including at large residential developments, or on major roads in metropolitan areas.

Customers can use our ATMs for a variety of functions, including withdrawing cash, monitoring bank balances, depositing cash and checks and paying utility bills. Customers can access their accounts from any of the HDFC Bank ATMs or non-HDFC Bank ATMs. ATM cards issued by other banks in the Plus, Cirrus and Amex networks can be used in our ATMs and we receive a fee for each transaction. Our debit cards can be used on ATMs of other banks while our ATM cards can be used on most of the ATM networks.

Telephone Banking

We provide telephone banking services to our customers in over 2,587 cities and towns. Customers can access their accounts over the phone through our 24-hour automated voice response system and can order check books, conduct balance inquiries and order stop payments on checks. In select cities, customers can also engage in financial transactions (such as cash transfers, opening deposits and ordering demand drafts). In certain cities, we also have staff available during select hours to assist customers who want to speak directly to one of our telephone bankers.

Mobile Banking

Our mobile banking platform offers “anytime, anywhere” banking services to our customers through handheld devices, such as smartphones and basic feature phones. Using our mobile banking platform, customers can perform enquiry based non-financial transactions such as balance enquiries, requests for account statements and requests for mini-statements of their transactions. We offer our customers the ability to carry out financial transactions from their mobile phone using “ngpay”. Customers can carry out financial transactions, such as transferring funds within and outside the Bank, and mobile commerce using their HDFC Bank account by downloading this application on their mobile phones. Mobile banking is available across several mobile operating systems, including Android, iOS, Windows and Blackberry.

 

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Internet Banking

Our “net banking” seeks to be a “virtual manifestation” of a physical branch. Through our net banking channel, customers can perform various transactions, such as access account information, track transactions, order check books, request stop check payments, transfer funds between accounts and to third parties who maintain accounts with us, open fixed deposits, give instructions for the purchase and sale of units in mutual funds, pay bills and make demand draft requests. We encourage customer use of our internet banking service by offering some key services for free or at a lower cost.

Risk Management

Risk is inherent in our business and sound risk management is critical to our success. The major types of risk we face are credit risk, market risk, liquidity risk, interest rate risk and operational risk. We have developed and implemented comprehensive policies and procedures to identify, assess, monitor and manage our risk.

Credit Risk

Credit risk is the possibility of loss due to the failure of any counterparty to abide by the terms and conditions of any financial contract with us. We identify and manage this risk through (a) our target defined markets, (b) our credit approval process, (c) our post-disbursement monitoring and (d) our remedial management procedures.

Retail Credit Risk

We offer a range of retail products, such as auto loans, personal loans, credit cards, business banking, two-wheeler loans, loans against securities and commercial vehicle loans. Our retail credit policy and approval process are designed to accommodate the high volumes of relatively homogeneous, small value transactions in retail loans. There are product programs for each of these products, which define the target markets, credit philosophy and process, detailed underwriting criteria for evaluating individual credits, exception reporting systems and individual loan exposure caps.

For individual customers to be eligible for a loan, minimum credit parameters, so defined, are to be met for each product. Any deviations need to be approved at the designated levels. The product parameters have been selected based on the perceived risk characteristics specific to the product. The quantitative parameters considered include income, residence stability, the nature of the employment/business, while the qualitative parameters include accessibility and profile. Our credit policies and product programs are based on a statistical analysis of our own experience and industry data, in combination with the judgement of our senior officers.

The retail credit risk team manages credit risk in retail assets and has the following constituents:

(a) Central Risk Unit: The central risk unit drives credit risk management centrally for retail assets. It is responsible for formulating policies and evaluates proposals for launch of new products and new geographies. The central risk unit also conducts periodic reviews that cover portfolio management information system (MIS), credit MIS and post-approval reviews. The product risk teams conduct detailed studies on portfolio performance in each customer segment.

(b) Retail Underwriting: This unit is primarily responsible for approving individual credit exposures and ensuring portfolio composition and quality. The unit ensures implementation of all policies and procedures, as applicable.

(c) Risk Intelligence and Control: This unit is responsible for the sampling of documents to ensure prospective borrowers with fraudulent intent are prevented from availing themselves of loans. The unit initiates market reference checks to avoid a recurrence of fraud and financial losses.

(d) Retail Collections Unit: This unit is responsible for the remedial management of problem exposures in retail assets. The collections unit uses specific strategies for various segments and products for remedial management.

 

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We mine data on our borrower account behavior as well as static data regularly to monitor the portfolio performance of each product segment regularly, and use these as inputs in revising our product programs, target market definitions and credit assessment criteria to meet our twin objectives of combining volume growth and maintenance of asset quality.

Our retail loans are generally secured by a charge on the asset financed (vehicle loans, property loans and loans against gold and securities). Retail business banking loans are secured with current assets as well as immovable property and fixed assets in some cases. However, collateral securing each individual loan may not be adequate in relation to the value of the loan. If the customer fails to pay, we would, as applicable, liquidate collateral and/or set off accounts. In most cases, we obtain direct debit instructions or post-dated checks from the customer. It is a criminal offense in India to issue a bad check.

Wholesale Credit Risk

The wholesale credit risk team, within the Credit & Market Risk Group, is primarily responsible for implementing the credit risk strategy approved by the Board, developing procedures and systems for managing credit risk, carrying out an independent assessment of credit risk, approving individual credit exposures and ensuring portfolio composition and quality. In addition to the credit approval process, there is also an independent framework for the review and approval of credit ratings.

For our wholesale banking products, we target leading private businesses and public sector enterprises in the country, subsidiaries of multinational corporations and leaders in the Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) segment. We also have product-specific offerings for entities engaged in the capital markets and commodities businesses.

We consider the credit risk of our counterparties comprehensively. Accordingly, our credit policies and procedures apply not only to credit exposures but also to credit substitutes and contingent exposures. Our Credit Policies & Procedure Manual and Credit Program (Credit Policies) are central in controlling credit risk in various activities and products. These articulate our credit risk strategy and thereby the approach for credit origination, approval and maintenance. The Credit Policies generally address such areas as target markets, portfolio mix, prudential exposure ceilings, concentration limits, price and non-price terms, structure of limits, approval authorities, exception reporting system, prudential accounting and provisioning norms. Each credit is evaluated by the business units against the credit standards prescribed in our Credit Policies. They are then subjected to a greater degree of risk analysis based on product type and customer profile by credit risk specialists in the Credit & Market Risk Group.

We have in place a process of risk-grading each borrower according to its financial health and the performance of its business and each borrower is graded on an alphanumeric rating scale of HDB 1 to HDB 10 (HDB 1 indicating the highest and HDB 10 the lowest rating; we further classify HDB 1 to HDB 7 as “investment grade” ratings, while HDB 8 or lower are classified as “non-investment grade” ratings). We have specific models applicable to each significant segment of wholesale credit (e.g. large corporate, SME-manufacturing, SME-Services and NBFCs). Each model assesses the overall risk over four major categories: industry risk, business risk, management risk and financial risk. The aggregate weighted score based on the assessment under each of these four risk categories corresponds to a specific alphanumeric rating.

Based on what we believe is an adequately comprehensive risk assessment, credit exposure limits are set on individual counterparties. These limits take into account the overall potential exposure on the counterparty, be it on balance sheet or off balance sheet, across the banking book and the trading book, including foreign exchange and derivatives exposures. These limits are reviewed in detail at annual or more frequent intervals.

We do not extend credit on the judgement of one officer alone. Our credit approval process is based on a three approval system that combines credit approval authorities and discretionary powers. The required three approvals are provided by credit approvers who derive their authority from their credit skills and experience. The level for approval of a credit varies depending upon the grading of the borrower, the quantum of facilities required and whether we have been dealing with the customer by providing credit facilities in the past. As such, initial approvals would typically require a higher level of approval for a borrower with the same grading and for sanctioning the same facility.

 

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To ensure adequate diversification of risk, concentration limits have been set up in terms of:

a) Borrower/business group: Exposure to a borrower/business group is subject to the general ceilings established by the RBI from time to time, or specific approval by the RBI. The exposure-ceiling limit for a single borrower is 15% of a bank’s capital funds. This limit may be exceeded by an additional 5% (i.e. up to 20%), provided the additional credit exposure is on account of lending to infrastructure projects. The exposure-ceiling limit in the case of a borrower group is 40% of a bank’s capital funds. This limit may be exceeded by an additional 10% (i.e. up to 50%), provided the additional credit exposure is on account of extensions of credit for infrastructure projects. In addition to the above exposure limit, a bank may, in exceptional circumstances and with the approval of its board, consider increasing its exposure to a borrower up to an additional 5% of its capital funds. For certain blue chip clients and reputed groups or, in particular, for entities whose borrowings and/or bonds qualify as Priority Sector Lending, a bank may approach the RBI for single or group borrower ceilings which are higher than the prescribed limits. Exposures (both lending and investment, including off balance sheet exposures) of a bank to a single NBFC, NBFC-Asset Financing Company (AFC), or NBFC-Infrastructure Finance Company (IFC) should not exceed 10%, 15% and 15%, respectively, of a bank’s capital funds. A bank may, however, assume exposures on a single NBFC, NBFC-AFC, or NBFC-IFC up to 15%, 20% and 20%, respectively, of its capital funds, provided the exposure in excess of 10%, 15% and 15% (referred to above) is on account of funds that the NBFC, NBFC-AFC, or NBFC-IFC has lent out to the infrastructure sector.

b) Industry: Exposure to any one industry cannot exceed 12% of aggregate exposures. For this purpose, advances and investments as well as non-fund based exposures are aggregated. Retail advances are exempt from this exposure limit. Further, exposure to banks and state sponsored financial institutions is capped at a level of 25%.

c) Risk grading: In addition to the exposure ceilings described above, we have set quantitative ceilings on aggregate funded plus non-funded exposure (excluding retail assets) specific to each risk rating category at the portfolio level.

While we primarily make our credit decisions on a cash flow basis, we also obtain security for a significant portion of credit facilities extended by us as a second potential remedy. This can take the form of a floating charge on the movable assets of the borrower or a (first or residual) charge on the fixed assets and properties owned by the borrower. We may also require guarantees and letters of support from the flagship companies of the group in cases where facilities are granted based on our comfort level or relationship with the parent company.

We have a process for regular monitoring of all accounts at several levels. These include periodic calls on the customer, plant visits, credit reviews and monitoring of secondary data. These are designed to detect any early warning signals of deterioration in credit quality so that we can take timely corrective action.

The RBI restricts us from lending to companies with which we have any directors in common. In addition, the RBI requires that we direct a portion of our lending to certain specified sectors (Priority Sector Lending). See also the section “Supervision and Regulation ”.

Market Risk

Market risk refers to the potential loss on account of adverse changes in market variables or other risk factors which affect the value of financial instruments that we hold. The financial instruments may include investment in money market instruments, debt securities (such as gilts, bonds and PTCs), equities, foreign exchange products and derivative instruments (both linear and non-linear products).

The market variables which affect the valuation of these instruments typically include interest rates, equity prices, commodity prices, exchange rates and volatilities. Any change in the relevant market risk variable has an adverse or favorable impact on the valuation depending on the direction of the change and the type of position held (long or short). While the positions are taken with a view to earn from the upside potential, there is always a possibility of downside risk. Therefore, we must constantly review the positions to ensure that the risk on account of such positions is within our overall risk appetite. The market risk appetite is defined by the ICAAP review committee, which is approved in the ICAAP policy and is prescribed through the pre-approved treasury limits package, as well as specific trading limits, counterparty exposure limits and asset liability management (ALM) limits. The process for monitoring and reviewing risk exposures is outlined in the various risk policies.

 

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The market risk department formulates procedures for portfolio risk valuation, assesses market risk factors along with the trading portfolio and recommends various market risk controls and limits for the treasury and investment banking portfolios. The treasury mid-office is responsible for monitoring and reporting market risks arising from the trading desks. The market data cell in the mid-office maintains market data and also verifies the rates submitted by the treasury front office for polling various benchmarks.

Our Board of Directors has delegated the responsibility for market risk management of the balance sheet on an ongoing basis to the asset liability committee. This committee, which is chaired by the Managing Director and includes the heads of the business groups, meets every other week and more often when conditions require. The committee reviews the product pricing for deposits and assets as well as the maturity profile and mix of our assets and liabilities. It articulates the interest rate view and decides on future business strategy with respect to interest rates. It reviews and sets funding policy and also reviews developments in the markets and the economy and their impact on the balance sheet and business. Finally, it ensures adherence to ALM market risk limits and decides on the inter-segment transfer pricing policy.

The financial control department is responsible for collecting data, preparing regulatory and analytical reports and monitoring whether the interest rate and other policies and limits established by the asset liability committee are being observed. Our treasury group also assists in implementing our asset liability strategy and in providing information to the asset liability committee.

Policies and Procedures—Trading and Asset Liability Management Risks

The following sections briefly describe our policies and procedures with respect to trading risk (price risk) and ALM risk (interest rate risk in the banking book and liquidity risk).

I. Trading Risk

Trading risk is the risk arising from price fluctuations due to market factors, such as changes in interest rates, equity prices, commodity prices, exchange rates and the variations in their implied volatilities in respect of the trading portfolio held by the Bank. The trading portfolio includes holdings in the held-for-trading and available-for-sale-portfolios, as per RBI guidelines and consists of positions in bonds, securities, currencies, interest rate swaps, cross-currency interest rate swaps and currency options.

The trading risk is managed by putting in place a sound process for price validation and by setting various limits, such as value at risk, stop loss trigger level, price value per basis point, option Greek limits and position limits, namely, intraday, net overnight open position, equity scrip-wise open position as well as gap limits (aggregate and individual gap limits), which are stipulated in the Treasury Limits Package. In addition, deal size limit is prescribed for foreign exchange deals traded on trading platforms along with specific position and exposure limits in exchange traded currency and interest rate derivatives.

The treasury limits are reviewed by the market risk department and presented to the Risk Policy and Monitoring Committee (RPMC) for its recommendation to the Board of Directors for approval. The limits are reviewed annually or more frequently (depending on market conditions) or upon introduction of new products.

The market risk policy sets the framework for market risk monitoring. The risk on account of semi-liquid or illiquid positions in trading is recognized in the non-standard product policy as part of the market risk policy. The non-standard product policy stipulates requirements for case specific evaluation of risk exposure in respect of non-standard products (that is, products which are not part of the standard product list decided by treasury and the market risk department). In addition, the stress testing policy prescribes the stress scenarios that are applied on the outstanding trading positions to recognize and analyze the impact of the stress conditions on the trading portfolio. Stress tests are based on historical scenarios as well as on sensitivity factors, such as an assessment of hypothetical scenarios.

Price validation is conducted by the treasury analytics team, reviewed by the market risk department and governed by the independent valuation model validation policy, which is approved by the Board of Directors.

II. Asset Liability Management

The ALM risk management process consists of management of liquidity risk and interest rate risk in the banking book (IRRBB). Liquidity risk is the risk that the Bank may not be able to fund increases in assets or meet obligations as they fall due without incurring unacceptable losses. IRRBB refers to the potential adverse financial impact on the Bank’s banking book from changes in interest rates.

 

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The banking book is comprised of assets and liabilities that are incurred to create a steady income flow or to fulfill statutory obligations. Such assets and liabilities are generally held to maturity. The Bank carries various assets, liabilities and off-balance sheet items across markets, maturities and benchmarks, exposing it to risks from changing interest rates. The Bank’s objective is to maintain liquidity risk and IRRBB within certain tolerance limits. The ALM limits are reviewed by the market risk department and presented to the RPMC for its recommendation to the Board of Directors for approval. The limits are reviewed at least annually.

Structure and Organization

The ALM risk management process of the Bank operates in the following hierarchical manner:

Board of Directors

The Board has the overall responsibility for management of liquidity and interest rate risk. The Board decides the strategy, policies and procedures of the Bank to manage liquidity and interest rate risk, including setting the Bank’s risk tolerance and limits.

Risk Policy & Monitoring Committee of the Board

The RPMC is a Board-level committee, which supports the Board by supervising the implementation of risk strategy. It guides the development of policies, procedures and systems for managing risk. The RPMC is responsible for evaluating the overall risks faced by the Bank, including liquidity risk and interest rate risk.

Asset Liability Committee (ALCO)

The ALCO is the decision-making unit responsible for ensuring adherence to the risk tolerance and limits set by the Board, as well as implementing the Bank’s liquidity and interest rate risk management strategy in line with the Bank’s risk management objectives and risk tolerance. The ALCO is also responsible for balance sheet planning from a risk-return perspective, including strategic management of interest rate and liquidity risks. The role of the ALCO includes the following:

 

    product pricing for deposits and customer assets;

 

    deciding the desired maturity profile and mix of incremental assets and liabilities;

 

    articulating the Bank’s interest rate view and deciding on its future business strategy;

 

    reviewing and articulating funding strategy;

 

    ensuring adherence to the limits set by the Board of Directors;

 

    determining the structure, responsibilities and controls for managing liquidity and interest rate risk;

 

    ensuring operational independence of risk management function;

 

    reviewing stress test results; and

 

    deciding on the transfer pricing policy of the Bank.

There are also certain internal ALM operational groups which support the ALM organization.

Risk Measurement Systems and Reporting

Liquidity risk is measured using the flow approach and the stock approach. The flow approach involves comprehensive tracking of cash flow mismatches, whereas the stock approach involves the measurement of critical ratios in respect of liquidity risk. Analysis of liquidity risk also involves examining how funding requirements are likely to be affected under crisis scenarios. The Bank has a Board-approved liquidity stress framework, which is guided by regulatory instructions. In addition, the Bank has an extensive intraday liquidity risk management framework for monitoring intraday positions during the day.

IRRBB is measured and controlled using both earnings perspective (traditional gap analysis) and economic value perspective (duration gap analysis). Earnings perspective measures the sensitivity of net interest income to changes in the interest rate over the next 12 months. It involves the bucketing of rate-sensitive assets, liabilities and off-balance sheet items as per the residual maturity and/or re-pricing date in various time bands, and the computing of the change in income under a 200 basis point upward and downward rate shock over a one-year period. Economic value perspective calculates the change in the present value of the Bank’s expected cash flows for a 200 basis point upward and downward rate shock. The Bank also undertakes periodic stress testing for its banking book. This stress testing provides a measure with which to assess the Bank’s financial standing from extreme yet plausible interest rate fluctuations. Our stress testing framework has been approved by the Board.

 

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Operational Risk Management

Operational risk is the risk of loss resulting from inadequate or failed internal processes, people and systems or from external events. The way operational risk is managed has the potential to positively or negatively impact the Bank’s customers, financial performance and reputation. The Bank has put in place a Board-approved governance and organizational structure with clearly defined roles and responsibilities to mitigate operational risk arising from the Bank’s business and operations.

Organizational Structure for Managing Operational Risk

The RPMC reviews and recommends to the Board of Directors the overall operational risk management framework for the Bank. The Operational Risk Management Committee, which is headed by the Deputy Managing Director and consists of senior management functionaries (including the Chief Risk Officer, Group Head–Audit, Group Head–Operations and senior representatives from all the relevant business verticals), oversees the implementation of the operational risk management framework approved by the Board. An independent operational risk management department is responsible for implementation of the framework across the Bank. The operational risk management policy stipulates the roles and responsibilities of employees, business units, operations and support function in managing operational risk.

Risk Measurement and Monitoring

While the day-to-day operational risk management lies with business lines, operations and support functions, the operational risk management department is responsible for designing tools and techniques for identification and monitoring of operational risk across the Bank consistent with the framework approved by the Board. The unit also ensures operational risk exposures are captured and reported to the relevant levels of the management for initiating suitable risk mitigations in order to contain operational risk exposures within acceptable levels. The internal audit department provides independent assurance of the effectiveness of governance, risk management and internal controls to achieve the Bank’s risk management and control objectives.

The Bank applies a number of risk management techniques to effectively manage operational risks. These techniques include:

 

    A bottom-up risk assessment process, risk control self-assessment, to identify high risk areas so that the Bank can initiate timely remedial measures. This assessment is conducted half-yearly to update senior management of the risk level across the Bank.

 

    The employment of key risk indicators to alert the Bank of impending problems in a timely manner. The key risk indicators allow monitoring of the control environment as well as operational risk exposures and also trigger risk mitigation actions.

 

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    Subjecting material operational risk losses to a detailed risk analysis in order to identify areas of risk exposure and gaps in controls based on which appropriate risk mitigating actions are initiated.

 

    Conducting a scenario analysis annually to derive information on hypothetical severe loss situations. The Bank uses this information for risk management purposes, as well as for analyzing the possible financial impact.

 

    Periodic reporting of risk assessment and monitoring to senior management to ensure timely actions are initiated at all levels.

Capital Requirement

The Bank has devised an operational risk measurement system compliant with an advanced measurement approach for estimating operational risk capital for the standalone bank. The Bank has submitted a detailed application to the RBI for migration to the advanced measurement approach. At present, the Bank follows the basic indicator approach to estimating operational risk capital.

Competition

We face intense competition in all of our principal lines of business. Our primary competitors are large public sector banks, other private sector banks, foreign banks and, in some product areas, NBFCs. In February 2013, the RBI issued guidelines for the entry of new banks in the private sector, including eligibility criteria, capital requirements, shareholding structure, business plan and corporate governance practices. The RBI received approximately 26 applications for new bank licenses, including from some of the largest business groups in India. In April 2014, the RBI provided in-principle approvals to two of the applicants, IDFC Limited and Bandhan Financial Services Private Limited. In fiscal 2016, each of these entities commenced banking operations as IDFC Bank and Bandhan Bank, respectively.

Retail Banking

In retail banking, our principal competitors are large public sector banks, which have much larger deposit bases and branch networks than ours, other new generation private sector banks, old generation private sector banks, foreign banks and NBFCs in the case of retail loan products. The retail deposit share of foreign banks is small in comparison to the public sector banks. However, some foreign banks have a significant presence among non-resident Indians and also compete for non-branch-based products.

In mutual fund sales and other investment related products, our principal competitors are brokers, foreign banks and other new private sector banks.

Wholesale Banking

Our principal competitors in wholesale banking are public and new private sector banks as well as foreign banks. The large public sector banks have traditionally been the market leaders in commercial lending. Foreign banks have focused primarily on serving the needs of multinational companies and Indian corporations with cross-border financing requirements, including trade and transactional services and foreign exchange products and derivatives, while the large public sector banks have extensive branch networks and large local currency funding capabilities.

Treasury

In our treasury advisory services for corporate clients, we compete principally with foreign banks in foreign exchange and derivatives, as well as public sector banks and new private sector banks in the foreign exchange and money markets business.

 

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Employees

The number of our employees was 76,286 as of March 31, 2015 and 87,555 as of March 31, 2016. Most of our employees are located in India. We consider our relationship with our employees to be positive. Further to our acquisition of CBoP in 2008, several employees of CBoP continue to be part of a labor union. These employees represent less than 1% of our total employee strength.

Our compensation structure has fixed as well as variable pay components. Our variable pay is paid out by way of sales incentives as well as performance linked bonuses.

In addition to basic compensation, employees are eligible to participate in our provident fund and other employee benefit plans. The provident fund, to which both we and our employees contribute, is a savings scheme required by government regulation under which the fund is required to pay to employees a minimum annual return, which is 8.8% at present. If such return is not generated internally by the fund, we are liable for the difference. Our provident fund has generated sufficient funds internally to meet the annual return requirement since inception of the fund. We have also set up a superannuation fund to which we contribute defined amounts. We also contribute specified amounts to a pension fund in respect of certain of our former-CBoP employees. In addition, we contribute specified amounts to a gratuity fund set up pursuant to Indian statutory requirements.

We focus on training our employees on a continuous basis. We have a training center in Mumbai, where we conduct regular training programs for our employees. Management and executive trainees generally undergo up to eight-week training modules covering most aspects of banking. We offer courses conducted by both internal and external faculty. In addition to ongoing on-the-job training, we provide employees courses in specific areas or specialized operations on an as-needed basis.

Properties

Our registered office and corporate headquarters is located at HDFC Bank House, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai 400 013, India. In addition to the corporate office, we have administrative offices in most of the metros and some other major cities in India.

As of March 31, 2016, we had a network consisting of 4,520 branches and 12,000 ATMs, including 6,459 at non-branch locations. These facilities are located throughout India with the exception of three branches which are located in Bahrain, Hong Kong and Dubai. We also have representative offices in the United Arab Emirates and Kenya.

Intellectual Property

We utilize a number of different forms of intellectual property in our business including our HDFC Bank brand and the names of the various products we provide to our customers. We believe that we currently own, have licensed or otherwise possess the rights to use all intellectual property and other proprietary rights, including all trademarks, domain names, copyrights, patents and trade secrets used in our business.

Legal Proceedings

We are involved in a number of legal proceedings in the ordinary course of our business, including certain spurious or vexatious proceedings with significant financial claims present on the face of the complaint but that we believe lack any merit based on the historical dismissals of similar claims. Accordingly, we believe there are currently no legal proceedings, which if adversely determined, might materially affect our financial condition or the results of our operations.

 

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RISK FACTORS

You should carefully consider the following risk factors in evaluating us and our business.

Risks Relating to our Business

A slowdown in economic growth in India would cause us to experience slower growth in our asset portfolio and deterioration in the quality of our assets.

Our performance and the quality and growth of our assets are necessarily dependent on the health of the overall Indian economy, which is, in turn, linked to global economic conditions. The Indian economy in general, and the agricultural sector in particular, are also impacted by the level and timing of monsoon rainfall. A slowdown in global growth and volatility in global financial markets contributed to a weakness in the Indian financial and economic environment. Despite growth in the U.S. economy being above trend, global growth is likely to remain below trend level due to subdued growth in the Eurozone and a slower pace of growth in the Chinese economy. We remain concerned that below-trend global growth may adversely affect domestic growth prospects. In addition, the continuation of a tighter monetary policy in the United States could further undermine financial stability in an emerging market economy like India. Such economic conditions, including ongoing problems in the Eurozone countries, in particular, in Greece, and negotiations between U.K. and EU policymakers following the U.K.’s vote to leave the European Union, could result in a prolonged slowdown in the Indian economy, which would adversely affect our business, including our ability to grow our asset portfolio, the quality of our assets and our ability to implement our strategy. In particular, the Indian economy may be adversely affected by volatile oil prices, given India’s dependence on imported oil for its energy needs, inflationary pressures and weather conditions adversely affecting the Indian agricultural market or other factors. In addition, the Indian economy is in a state of transition; the share of the services sector of the economy is rising, while that of the industrial, manufacturing and agricultural sectors is declining. India also faces major challenges in sustaining its growth rate, including the need for substantial infrastructure development and improved access to healthcare and education. In this regard, addressing the structural bottlenecks that limited the economy from fiscal 2012 to fiscal 2014 will remain a vital aspect of ongoing policy reforms.

In fiscal 2015, the Indian government introduced a new methodology for estimating the gross domestic product and also began publishing sector data on a gross value added basis. According to the new methodology, India’s gross domestic product grew by 7.2% in fiscal 2015 and 7.6% in fiscal 2016. In addition, the RBI entered into a monetary policy framework agreement with the Government of India, affirming that the RBI would pursue a target of bringing inflation below 6.0% by January 2016 and to achieve an inflation rate of 4.0% with a band of +/- 2% for fiscal 2017 and beyond. A return to a higher interest rate environment on account of inflation, other market factors, changes in the conduct of monetary policy or otherwise may have an adverse effect on economic growth in India. Any prolonged slowdown may adversely impact credit growth and the level of non-performing and restructured loans. If the Indian economy deteriorates, our asset base may erode, which would result in a material decrease in our net income and total assets.

If we are unable to manage our rapid growth, our operations may suffer and our performance may decline.

We have grown rapidly over the last three fiscal years. Our loan growth rate has been significantly higher than that of the Indian banking industry over the last three fiscal years. Our loans in the three-year period ended March 31, 2015 grew at a compounded annual growth rate of approximately 24.7%, as against approximately 13.3% for the Indian banking industry for the same period.

Our rapid growth has placed, and if it continues, will place, significant demands on our operational, credit, financial and other internal risk controls including:

 

    recruiting, training and retaining sufficient skilled personnel;

 

    upgrading, expanding and securing our technology platform;

 

    developing and improving our products and delivery channels;

 

    preserving our asset quality as our geographical presence increases and customer profile changes;

 

    complying with regulatory requirements such as the Know Your Customer (KYC) norms; and

 

    maintaining high levels of customer satisfaction.

If our internal risk controls are insufficient to sustain our rapid rate of growth, or if we fail to perform adequately in any of the above areas, this could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations or financial position.

 

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The growth in our business is partly attributable to the expansion of our branch network. As at March 31, 2011, we had a branch network comprised of 1,986 branches, which increased to 4,520 branches as at March 31, 2016. Section 23 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 (Banking Regulation Act) provides that banks must obtain the prior approval of the RBI to open new branches. In addition, the RBI may cancel a license for violations of the conditions under which it was granted. The RBI issues instructions and guidelines to banks on branch authorization from time to time. With the objective of liberalizing and rationalizing the branch licensing process, the RBI, effective October 2013, granted general permission to banks, including us, to open branches in Tier 1 to Tier 6 centers, subject to a requirement to report to the RBI and certain other conditions. See “Supervision and Regulation—Regulations Relating to the Opening of Branches”. If we are unable to perform in a manner satisfactory to the RBI in any of these centers or comply with the specified conditions, it may have an impact on the number of branches we will be able to open, which would, in turn, have an impact on our future growth.

Similarly, if we fail to properly manage our rapid growth, our operations would suffer and our performance as a whole would be materially adversely affected.

Our business is particularly vulnerable to interest rate risk and volatility in interest rates could adversely affect our net interest margin, the value of our fixed income portfolio, our treasury income and our financial performance.

Our results of operations depend to a great extent on our net interest revenue. During fiscal 2016, net interest revenue after allowances for credit losses represented 73.7% of our net revenue. Changes in market interest rates affect the interest rates charged on our interest-earning assets differently from the interest rates paid on our interest-bearing liabilities and also affect the value of our investments. An increase in interest rates could result in an increase in interest expense relative to interest revenue if we are not able to increase the rates charged on our loans, which would lead to a reduction in our net interest revenue and net interest margin. Further, an increase in interest rates could negatively affect demand for our loans and credit substitutes and we may not be able to achieve our volume growth, which could adversely affect our net income. A decrease in interest rates could result in a decrease in interest revenue relative to interest expense due to the repricing of our loans at a pace faster than the rates we pay on our interest-bearing liabilities. The quantum of the changes in interest rates for our assets and liabilities may also be different.

While the RBI increased the policy repo rate by 25 basis points in January 2014, domestic interest rates have softened from the levels in the latter part of 2013 (when the RBI initiated emergency liquidity tightening measures). The combination of global disinflationary pressures (a result of falling commodity prices and subdued growth), better supply management of food items, weak domestic demand and subdued corporate pricing power helped to keep domestic inflation in check, thereby causing CPI inflation to decrease from levels of 8.25% in March 2014 to 5.25% in March 2015 and to 4.83% in March 2016. This softening in inflation led the RBI to cut the policy repo rate by 75 basis points in fiscal 2016. Provided India has a normal monsoon season and effectively manages the domestic food supply situation, there could be a further reduction in the policy repo rate in the second half of 2016. In addition, in order to make the liquidity situation more comfortable, the RBI also conducted net open market operation (OMO) purchases of Rs. 0.5 trillion in fiscal 2016, compared to net OMO sales of Rs. 0.6 trillion in fiscal 2015. In response to the declining policy rates, easing liquidity conditions and lower central government borrowing, the benchmark bond yield also eased during fiscal 2016. However, despite the RBI’s easing of monetary policy, domestic fixed income markets remained uncertain about state borrowing and the increase in bond supply from other semi-government entities, which resulted in the decline in bond yields being less than the decline in policy rates. Going forward, a monetary policy committee (comprised of representatives from both the central government and the RBI) may change the way monetary policy is determined.

With the possibility of a further increase in U.S. interest rates and rising commodity prices, there may be limited room for substantial monetary easing. In addition, if global interest rates increase in response to tighter U.S. monetary policy, there could be a flow-on effect for domestic rates. As a result, we may increase our interest rates, which may adversely affect our results of operations. Any volatility in interest rates could also adversely affect our net interest margin, the value of our fixed income portfolio, our treasury income and our financial performance. See “Selected Statistical Information—Analysis of Changes in Interest Revenue and Interest Expense” and “Selected Statistical Information—Yields, Spreads and Margins”.

 

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If the level of non-performing loans in our portfolio increases, we will be required to increase our provisions, which would negatively impact our income.

Our gross non-performing loans and impaired credit substitutes represented 1.0% of our gross customer assets as of March 31, 2016. Our non-performing loans and impaired credit substitutes net of specific loan loss provisions represented 0.4% of our net customer assets portfolio as of March 31, 2016. We have restructured the payment terms of certain loans, which, as of March 31, 2016, represented 0.1% of our gross customer assets. Our management of credit risk involves having appropriate credit policies, underwriting standards, approval processes, loan portfolio monitoring, remedial management and the overall architecture for managing credit risk. In the case of our secured loan portfolio, the frequency of the valuation of collateral may vary based on the nature of the loan and the type of collateral. A decline in the value of collateral or an inappropriate collateral valuation increases the risk in the secured loan portfolio because of inadequate coverage of collateral. As of March 31, 2016, 78.2% of our loan book was partially or fully secured by collateral. Our risk mitigation and risk monitoring techniques may not be accurate or appropriately implemented and we may not be able to anticipate future economic and financial events, leading to an increase in our non-performing loans. See “Note 10—Loans” in our consolidated financial statements.

Provisions are created by a charge to expense, and represent our estimate for loan losses and risks inherent in the credit portfolio. See “Selected Statistical Information—Non-Performing Loans”. The determination of an appropriate level of loan losses and provisions required inherently involves a degree of subjectivity and requires that we make estimates of current credit risks and future trends, all of which may undergo material changes. Our provisions may not be adequate to cover any further increase in the amount of non-performing loans or any further deterioration in our non-performing loan portfolio. In addition, we are a relatively young bank operating in a growing economy and we have yet not experienced a significant and prolonged downturn in the economy.

A number of factors outside of our control affect our ability to control and reduce non-performing loans. These factors include developments in the Indian economy, domestic or global turmoil, global competition, changes in interest rates and exchange rates and changes in regulations, including with respect to regulations requiring us to lend to certain sectors identified by the RBI or the Government of India. These factors, coupled with other factors such as volatility in commodity markets, declining business and consumer confidence and decreases in business and consumer spending, could impact the operations of our customers and in turn impact their ability to fulfill their obligations under the loans granted to them by us. In addition, the expansion of our business may cause our non-performing loans to increase and the overall quality of our loan portfolio to deteriorate. If our non-performing loans increase, we will be required to increase our provisions, which would result in our net income being less than it otherwise would have been and would adversely affect our financial condition.

We have high concentrations of exposures to certain customers and sectors and if any of these exposures were to become non-performing, the quality of our portfolio could be adversely affected and our ability to meet capital requirements could be jeopardized.

We calculate customer and industry exposure (i.e. the loss we could incur due to the downfall of a customer or an industry) in accordance with the policies established by the RBI, computed based on our Indian GAAP financial statements. In the case of customer exposures, we aggregate the higher of the outstanding balances of, or limits on, funded and non-funded exposures. As of March 31, 2016, our largest single customer exposure was Rs. 108.4 billion, representing 15.3% of our capital funds, and our ten largest customer exposures totaled Rs. 607.7 billion, representing 85.6% of our capital funds, in each case, computed in accordance with RBI guidelines. None of our ten largest customer exposures were classified as non-performing as of March 31, 2016. However, if any of our ten largest customer exposures were to become non-performing, our net income would decline and, due to the magnitude of the exposures, our ability to meet capital requirements could be jeopardized. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” for a detailed discussion on customer exposures. As of March 31, 2016, our largest industry concentrations, based on RBI guidelines, were as follows: consumer loans (10.8%), agriculture and allied activities (8.7%), wholesale trade (6.3%) and services (5.2%). In addition, as of March 31, 2016, 15.3% of the concentration of our exposures was retail (except where otherwise included in the above classification). Industry-specific difficulties in these or other sectors may increase our level of non-performing customer assets. If we experience a downturn in an industry in which we have concentrated exposure, our net income will likely decline significantly and our financial condition may be materially adversely affected. As of March 31, 2016, our total non-performing loans and credit substitutes as a percentage of non-performing loans in accordance with U.S. GAAP were concentrated in the following industries: agriculture and allied activities (14.0%), iron and steel (8.9%), wholesale trade (8.8%), consumer loans (7.2%) and real estate & property services (6.7%).

 

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We are required to undertake directed lending under RBI guidelines. Consequently, we may experience a higher level of non-performing assets in our directed lending portfolio, which could adversely impact the quality of our loan portfolio, our business and the price of our equity shares and ADSs. Further, in the case of any shortfall in complying with these requirements, we may be required to invest in deposits of Indian development banks as directed by the RBI. These deposits yield low returns, thereby impacting our profitability.

The RBI prescribes guidelines on priority sector lending (PSL) in India. Under these guidelines, banks in India are required to lend 40.0% of their adjusted net bank credit (ANBC) or the credit equivalent amount of off-balance sheet exposures (CEOBE), whichever is higher, as defined by the RBI and computed in accordance with Indian GAAP figures, to certain eligible sectors categorized as priority sectors. The priority sector requirements must be met as of March 31 of the relevant fiscal year with reference to the higher of the ANBC and the CEOBE of the previous fiscal year. The RBI has issued revised PSL norms applicable from fiscal 2016 onwards. The sub-targets for direct and indirect lending to the agricultural industry have been combined. Two new sub-targets, an 8.0% lending target for small and marginal farmers and a 7.5% lending target for micro enterprises, have been introduced and apply in a phased manner across fiscal 2016 and fiscal 2017. The balance of the PSL requirement can be met by lending to a range of sectors, including small businesses, medium enterprises, renewable energy, social infrastructure and residential mortgages satisfying certain criteria. The target for lending to weaker sectors continues to be at 10.0% of ANBC. From fiscal 2017, PSL achievements would be evaluated on a quarterly average basis and not just at the fiscal year-end. Further, the RBI has directed banks to maintain direct lending to non-corporate farmers at the banking system’s average level for the last three years, which will be notified by the RBI at the beginning of each year. The RBI has also directed banks to continue to pursue the target of 13.5% of ANBC towards lending to borrowers who constituted the direct agriculture lending category under the earlier guidelines. If we fail to adhere to the RBI’s policies and directions, we may be subject to penalties, which may adversely affect our results of operations.

We met our overall PSL target of 40.0% and our total PSL achievement for fiscal 2016 stood at 47.94%. However, we have not been able to meet the lending targets of certain sub-targets of the PSL scheme and may not be able to meet the overall PSL target or certain sub-targets in the future. For example, in fiscal 2016, agricultural loans to small and marginal farmers made under the “direct” category were 5.75% of ANBC, against the requirement of 7.0%, with a shortfall of Rs. 41.8 billion, and advances to sections termed “weaker” by the RBI were 9.09% against the requirement of 10.0%, with a shortfall of Rs. 30.23 billion. Furthermore, the RBI can make changes to the types of loans that qualify under the PSL scheme. Changes that reduce the types of loans that can qualify toward meeting our PSL targets could increase shortfalls under the overall target or under certain sub-targets.

In the case of non-achievement of PSL targets, including sub-targets, we are required to invest in deposits of Indian development banks, such as the National Bank of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Small Industries Development Bank of India, as may be directed by the RBI. The amount to be deposited, interest rates on such deposits and periods of deposits, and other terms, are determined by the RBI from time to time. The interest rates on such deposits may be lower than the interest rates which the Bank would have obtained by investing these funds at its discretion. As of March 31, 2016, our total investments as directed by the RBI in such deposits were Rs. 137.2 billion, yielding returns ranging from 3.0% to 8.25%. Additionally, as per RBI guidelines, non-achievement of PSL target and sub-targets will be taken into account by the RBI when granting regulatory clearances and approvals for various purposes.

We may experience a higher level of non-performing assets in our directed lending portfolio, particularly in loans to the agricultural sector, small enterprises and weaker sections, where we are less able to control the portfolio quality and where economic difficulties are likely to affect our borrowers more severely. Our gross non-performing assets in the directed lending sector as a percentage to gross loans were 0.3% as of March 31, 2016 (as compared to 0.3% as of March 31, 2015). Further expansion of the PSL scheme could result in an increase of non-performing assets due to our limited ability to control the portfolio quality under the directed lending requirements.

In addition to the directed lending requirements, the RBI has encouraged banks in India to have a financial inclusion plan for expanding banking services to rural and unbanked centers and to customers who currently do not have access to banking services. The expansion into these markets involves significant investments and recurring costs. The profitability of these operations depends on our ability to generate business volumes in these centers and from these customers. Future changes by the RBI in the directed lending norms may result in our inability to meet the PSL requirements as well as require us to increase our lending to relatively more risky segments and may result in an increase in non-performing loans.

 

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We may be unable to foreclose on collateral in a timely fashion or at all when borrowers default on their obligations to us, or the value of collateral may decrease, any of which may result in failure to recover the expected value of collateral security, increased losses and a decline in net income.

Although we typically lend on a cash-flow basis, many of our loans are secured by collateral, which consists of liens on inventory, receivables and other current assets, and in some cases, charges on fixed assets, such as property, movable assets (such as vehicles) and financial assets (such as marketable securities). As of March 31, 2016, 78.2% of our loans were partially or fully secured by collateral. We may not be able to realize the full value of the collateral, due to, among other things, stock market volatility, changes in economic policies of the Indian government, obstacles and delays in legal proceedings, borrowers and guarantors not being traceable, the Bank’s records of borrowers’ and guarantors addresses being ambiguous or outdated and defects in the perfection of collateral and fraudulent transfers by borrowers. In the event that a specialized regulatory agency gains jurisdiction over the borrower, creditor actions can be further delayed. In addition, the value of collateral may be less than we expect or may decline. For example, the global economic slowdown and other domestic factors led to a downturn in real estate prices in India, which negatively impacted the value of our collateral. Similarly, if a company becomes a “sick unit” (as defined under Indian law, which provides for a unit to be so categorized based on the extent of its accumulated losses relative to its stockholders’ equity), foreclosure and enforceability of collateral is stayed.

During fiscal 2014, the RBI issued guidelines on revitalizing distressed assets in the economy. The guidelines envisage the formation of a joint lenders’ forum (JLF) and the taking of a corrective action plan (CAP) in relation to delinquent accounts where the overdues are between 61 and 90 days and the aggregate exposure of all lenders in an account is Rs. 1 billion or above. Such accounts may be restructured under the JLF mechanism. In June 2015, the RBI issued guidelines on strategic debt restructuring which allow banks to convert loan dues to equity shares, subject to certain conditions. In addition, in June 2016, the RBI introduced a scheme for sustainable structuring of stressed assets which provides an optional framework for the resolution of large borrowal accounts. The inability to foreclose on such loan dues or otherwise liquidate our collateral may result in failure to recover the expected value of such collateral security, which may, in turn, give rise to increased losses and a decline in net income.

Our unsecured loan portfolio is not supported by any collateral that could help ensure repayment of the loan, and in the event of non-payment by a borrower of one of these loans, we may be unable to collect the unpaid balance.

We offer unsecured personal loans and credit cards to the retail customer segment, including salaried individuals and self-employed professionals. In addition, we offer unsecured loans to small businesses and individual businessmen. Unsecured loans are a greater credit risk for us than our secured loan portfolio because they may not be supported by realizable collateral that could help ensure an adequate source of repayment for the loan. Although we normally obtain direct debit instructions or postdated checks from our customers for our unsecured loan products, we may be unable to collect in part or at all in the event of non-payment by a borrower. Further, any expansion in our unsecured loan portfolio could require us to increase our provision for credit losses, which would decrease our earnings. Also see “Business—Retail Banking—Retail Loans and Other Asset Products”.

Our and our customers’ exposure to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates could adversely affect our operating results.

Foreign currency exchange rates depend on various factors and can be volatile and difficult to predict. We enter into derivative contracts with our borrowers to manage their foreign currency exchange risk exposure. Volatility in these exchange rates may lead to losses in derivative transactions for our borrowers. On maturity or on premature termination of the derivative contracts and under certain circumstances, we may have to bear these losses. The use of derivative financial instruments may also generate obligations for us to make additional cash payments, which would negatively affect our liquidity. Any losses suffered by our customers as a result of fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates may have a materially adverse effect on our business, financial position or results of operations.

In order to support and grow our business, we must maintain a minimum capital adequacy ratio, and a lack of access to the capital markets may prevent us from maintaining an adequate ratio.

The RBI requires a minimum capital adequacy ratio of 9% of our total risk-weighted assets. We adopted the Basel III capital regulations effective April 1, 2013. Our capital adequacy ratio, calculated in accordance with Indian GAAP, was 15.5% as of March 31, 2016 as per Basel III (as compared to 16.8% as of March 31, 2015 and 16.1% as of March 31, 2014). Our ability to support and grow our business would be limited by a declining capital adequacy ratio. While we anticipate accessing the capital markets to offset declines in our capital adequacy ratio, we may be unable to access the markets at the appropriate time or the terms of any such financing may be unattractive due to various reasons attributable to changes in the general environment, including political, legal and economic conditions.

 

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The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision issued a comprehensive reform package entitled “Basel III: A global regulatory framework for more resilient banks and banking systems” in December 2010. In May 2012, the RBI released guidelines on implementation of the Basel III capital regulations in India and in July 2013, the RBI issued a master circular consolidating all relevant guidelines on Basel III. The key items covered under these guidelines include: i) improving the quality, consistency and transparency of the capital base; ii) enhancing risk coverage; iii) grading the enhancement of the total capital requirement; iv) introducing a capital conservation buffer and countercyclical buffer; and v) supplementing the risk-based capital requirement with a leverage ratio. One of the major changes in the Basel III capital regulations is that the Tier I capital will predominantly consist of common equity of the banks, which includes common shares, reserves and stock surplus. Innovative instruments and perpetual non-cumulative preference shares will not be considered a part of Common Equity Tier I (CET-I) capital. Basel III also defines criteria for instruments to be included in Tier II capital to improve their loss absorbency. The guidelines also set out criteria for loss absorption through the conversion or write-off of all non-common equity regulatory capital instruments at the point of non-viability. The point of non-viability is defined as a trigger event upon the occurrence of which non-common equity Tier I and Tier II instruments issued by banks in India may be required to be, at the option of the RBI, written off or converted into common equity. The capital requirement, including the capital conservation buffer, will be 11.5% (against the current requirement of 9.0%) once these guidelines are fully phased in. Domestic systemically important banks will be required to maintain a CET-I capital requirement ranging from 0.2% to 0.8% of risk weighted assets. See “Supervision and Regulation—Domestic Systemically Important Banks.”. Banks will also be required to have an additional capital requirement towards countercyclical capital buffer varying between 0% and 2.5% of the risk weighted assets as announced by the RBI. The transitional arrangements began from April 1, 2013 and the guidelines will be fully phased-in and implemented as of March 31, 2019. Additionally, the Basel III Liquidity Coverage Ratio (LCR), which is a measure of the Bank’s high quality liquid assets compared to its anticipated cash outflows over a 30-day stressed period, will apply in a phased manner starting with a minimum requirement of 60% from January 1, 2015 and reaching a minimum of 100% on January 1, 2019. These various requirements require us to begin preparing in advance and requirements to increase capital to meet increasing capital adequacy ratios could require us to forego certain business opportunities.

We also believe that the demand for Basel III compliant debt instruments such as Tier II capital eligible securities may be limited in India. There have been very few issuances of such bonds. In the past, the RBI has reviewed and made amendments in its guidelines on Basel III capital regulations with a view to facilitating the issuance of non-equity regulatory capital instruments by banks under the Basel III framework. It is unclear what effect, if any, these amendments may have on the issuance of Basel III compliant securities or if there will be sufficient demand for such securities. It is also possible that the RBI could further amend the eligibility criteria of such instruments in the future if the objectives identified by the RBI are not met, which would create additional uncertainty regarding the market for Basel III compliant securities in India.

If we are unable to meet the new and revised requirements, our business, future financial performance and the price of our equity shares could be adversely affected.

HDFC Limited holds a significant percentage of our share capital and can exercise influence over board decisions that could directly or indirectly favor the interests of HDFC Limited over our interests.

HDFC Limited and its subsidiaries owned 21.5% of our equity as of March 31, 2016. So long as HDFC Limited and its subsidiaries hold at least a 20% equity stake in us, HDFC Limited is entitled to nominate two directors, our Chairperson and Managing Director, to our Board of Directors. These two directors are not required to retire by rotation and their appointments are subject to RBI approval. Mrs. Gopinath has been appointed as part-time Non-Executive Chairperson for three years with effect from January 2, 2015. Two of our other directors, Mr. Keki Mistry and Mrs. Renu Karnad, are the Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and the Managing Director of HDFC Limited, respectively. Mr. Mistry and Mrs. Karnad both also serve on the boards of various other companies and were appointed to our Board of Directors independent of HDFC Limited’s entitlement to nominate two directors. While we are professionally managed and overseen by an independent board of directors, HDFC Limited can exercise influence over our board and over matters subject to a shareholder vote, which could result in decisions that favor HDFC Limited or result in us foregoing opportunities to the benefit of HDFC Limited. Such decisions may restrict our growth or harm our financial condition.

Additionally, Mr. D.M. Sukthankar is the father of our Deputy Managing Director, Mr. Paresh Sukthankar, and serves as an independent director on the board of HDFC Limited. Mr. D.M. Sukthankar has been a member of the board of HDFC Limited since 1989. Mr. Paresh Sukthankar was one of our early employees and also a part of the initial senior management team. He was elevated to the position of Deputy Managing Director with effect from December 2013. Both are associated with the respective companies in their independent professional capacities and we believe that none is in a position to exercise influence over the other.

 

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There have been reports in the Indian media suggesting that we may merge with HDFC Limited. We consider business combination opportunities as they arise. At present, we are not actively considering a business combination with HDFC Limited. Any significant business combination would involve compliance with regulatory requirements and shareholder and regulatory approvals. Additionally, on July 15, 2014, the RBI issued guidelines in relation to the issuance of long term bonds with a view to encourage financing of infrastructure and affordable housing. Regulatory incentives in the form of an exemption from the reserve requirements and a relaxation in PSL norms are stipulated as being restricted to bonds that are used to incrementally finance long-term infrastructure projects and loans for affordable housing. Any incremental infrastructure or affordable housing loans acquired from other banks and financial institutions, such as those that could be involved in a business combination with HDFC Limited, to be reckoned for regulatory incentives will require the prior approval of the RBI. We cannot predict the impact any potential business combination or what implications these guidelines would have on our business, financial condition, growth prospects or the prices of our equity shares.

We may face conflicts of interest relating to our promoter and principal shareholder, HDFC Limited, which could cause us to forego business opportunities and consequently have an adverse effect on our financial performance.

HDFC Limited is primarily engaged in financial services, including home loans, property-related lending and deposit products. The subsidiaries and associated companies of HDFC Limited are also largely engaged in a range of financial services, including asset management, life and other insurance and mutual funds. Although we have no agreements with HDFC Limited or any other HDFC group companies that restrict us from offering products and services that are offered by them, our relationship with these companies may cause us not to offer products and services that are already offered by other HDFC group companies and may effectively prevent us from taking advantage of business opportunities. See Note 28 “Related Party Transactions” in our consolidated financial statements for a summary of transactions we have engaged in with HDFC Limited during fiscal 2016. We currently distribute products of HDFC Limited and its group companies. If we stop distributing these products or forego other opportunities because of our relationship with HDFC Limited, it could have a material adverse effect on our financial performance.

HDFC Limited may prevent us from using the HDFC Bank brand if they reduce their shareholding in us to below 5%.

As part of a shareholder agreement executed when HDFC Bank was formed, HDFC Limited has the right to prevent us from using “HDFC” as part of our name or brand if HDFC Limited reduces its shareholding in HDFC Bank to an amount below 5% of our outstanding share capital. If HDFC Limited were to exercise this right, we would be required to change our name and brand, which could require us to expend significant resources to establish new branding and name recognition in the market as well as undertake efforts to rebrand our branches and our digital presence. This could have a material adverse effect on our financial performance.

RBI guidelines relating to ownership in private banks could discourage or prevent a change of control or other business combination involving us, such as with HDFC Limited, which could restrict the growth of our business and operations.

RBI guidelines prescribe a policy framework for the ownership and governance of private sector banks. The guidelines state that no single entity or group of entities will be permitted to own or control, directly or indirectly, more than 10% of the paid-up capital of a private sector bank without RBI approval. The implementation of such a restriction could discourage or prevent a change in control, merger, consolidation, takeover or other business combination involving us, which might be beneficial to our shareholders. The RBI’s acknowledgement is required for the acquisition or transfer of a bank’s shares, which will increase the aggregate holding (direct and indirect, beneficial or otherwise) of an individual or a group to the equivalent of 5% or more of its total paid-up capital. The RBI, when considering whether to grant an approval, may take into account all matters that it considers relevant to the application, including ensuring that shareholders whose aggregate holdings are above specified thresholds meet fitness and propriety tests. The RBI has accorded its approval for HDFC Limited to hold more than 10% of our stock. HDFC Limited’s substantial stake in us could discourage or prevent another entity from exploring the possibility of a combination with us. These obstacles to potentially synergistic business combinations could negatively impact our share price and have a material adverse effect on our ability to compete effectively with other large banks and consequently our ability to maintain and improve our financial condition.

 

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Additionally, under the recently revised SEBI clause 49, which came into effect on October 1, 2014, related party transactions over a certain threshold will require approval of the shareholders. Once the threshold is crossed, the approval of the shareholders is required for all transactions with that party. The related party is unable to vote with regard to the approval of these transactions. We have exceeded the threshold for transactions with HDFC Limited, in respect of which shareholder approvals have been obtained. However, if we are unable to obtain the necessary shareholder approvals for transactions with HDFC Limited in the future, we would be required to forego certain opportunities, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial performance.

Foreign investment in our shares may be restricted due to regulations governing aggregate foreign investment in the Bank’s paid-up equity share capital.

Aggregate foreign investment from all sources in a private sector bank is permitted up to 49% of the paid-up capital under the automatic route. This limit can be increased to 74% of the paid-up capital with prior approval from the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB). Pursuant to a letter dated February 4, 2015, the FIPB has approved foreign investment in the Bank up to 74% of its paid-up capital. The approval is subject to examination by the RBI for compounding on the change of foreign shareholding since April 2010. If we are subject to any penalties or an unfavorable ruling by the RBI, this could have an adverse effect on our results of operation and financial condition. As of March 31, 2016, foreign investment in the Bank, including the shareholdings of HDFC Limited and its subsidiaries, constituted 72.7% of the paid-up capital of the Bank. These limitations could negatively affect the price of our shares and could limit the ability of investors to trade our shares in the market. These limitations could also negatively affect the Bank’s ability to raise additional capital to meet our capital adequacy requirements or to fund future growth through future issuances of additional equity shares, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial results.

Our success depends in a large part upon our management team and skilled personnel and our ability to attract and retain such persons.

We are highly dependent on our management team, including the efforts of our Chairperson, our Managing Director, our Deputy Managing Director, our Executive Directors and members of our senior management. Our future performance is dependent on the continued service of these persons. We also face a continuing challenge to recruit and retain a sufficient number of skilled personnel, particularly if we continue to grow. Competition for management and other skilled personnel in our industry is intense, and we may not be able to attract and retain the personnel we need in the future. The loss of key personnel may restrict our ability to grow and consequently have a material adverse impact on our results of operations and financial position.

We have previously been subject to penalties imposed by the RBI. Any regulatory investigations, fines, sanctions, and requirements relating to conduct of business and financial crime could negatively affect our business and financial results, or cause serious reputational harm.

The RBI is empowered under the Banking Regulation Act to impose penalties on banks and their employees to enforce applicable regulatory requirements. In fiscal 2014, the RBI imposed penalties on us and many other banks for certain irregularities and violations discovered by the RBI during its scrutiny conducted in the first half of 2013, namely, non-observance of certain safeguards in respect of arrangement of “at par” payment of checks drawn by cooperative banks, exceptions in the periodic review of risk profiling of account holders, non-adherence to KYC rules for walk-in customers (non-customers) including for the sale of third party products, the sale of gold coins for cash in excess of Rs. 50,000 in certain cases and the non-submission of proper information as required by the RBI. We paid a penalty of Rs. 45 million in June 2013. Further, in January 2015, the Financial Intelligence Unit (India) (FIU) imposed a fine on us of Rs. 2.6 million relating to our failure to detect and report attempted suspicious transactions. The Bank has filed an appeal against the order, the hearing of which is in progress. See “Supervision and Regulation—Special Provisions of the Banking Regulation Act—Penalties.” Additionally, during fiscal 2014, the RBI investigated a corporate borrower’s loan and current accounts maintained with 12 Indian banks, including us. Based on its assessment, the RBI, in its press release dated July 25, 2014, levied penalties totaling Rs. 15 million on the 12 Indian banks. The penalty levied on us was Rs. 0.5 million on the grounds that we failed to exchange information about the conduct of the corporate borrower’s account with other banks at intervals as prescribed in the RBI guidelines on “Lending under Consortium Arrangement/Multiple Banking Arrangements”. In October 2015, there were media reports about irregularities in advance import remittances in various banks, further to which the RBI had conducted a scrutiny of the transactions carried out by us. In April 2016, the RBI issued a show cause notice to us to which we submitted our detailed response. After considering our submissions, the RBI has imposed a penalty of Rs. 20 million on us, which we paid, on account of pendency in receipt of bills of entry relating to advance import remittances made and lapses in adhering to KYC/AML guidelines in this respect. See “Supervision and Regulation—Special Provisions of the Banking Regulation Act—Penalties.” We cannot predict the initiation or outcome of any further investigations by other authorities or different investigations by the RBI. The penalties imposed by the RBI have generated adverse publicity for our business. Such adverse publicity, or any future scrutiny, investigation, inspection or audit which could result in fines, public reprimands, damage to our reputation, significant time and attention from our management, costs for investigations and remediation of affected customers, may materially adversely affect our business and financial results.

 

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Material changes in Indian banking regulations may adversely affect our business and our future financial performance.

We operate in a highly regulated environment in which the RBI extensively supervises and regulates all banks. Our business could be directly affected by any changes in policies for banks in respect of directed lending, reserve requirements and other areas. For example, the RBI could change its methods of enforcing directed lending standards so as to require more lending to certain sectors, which could require us to change certain aspects of our business. In addition, we could be subject to other changes in laws and regulations, such as those affecting the extent to which we can engage in specific business, those that reduce our income through a cap on either fees or interest rates chargeable to our customers, or those affecting foreign investment in the banking industry, as well as changes in other government policies and enforcement decisions, income tax laws, foreign investment laws and accounting principles. Laws and regulations governing the banking sector may change in the future and any changes may adversely affect our business, our future financial performance and the price of our equity shares and ADSs.

Our business is highly competitive, which makes it challenging for us to offer competitive prices to retain existing customers and solicit new business, and our strategy depends on our ability to compete effectively.

We face strong competition in all areas of our business, and some of our competitors are significantly larger than we are. We compete directly with the large public sector banks, some of which have larger customer asset and deposit bases, larger branch networks and more capital than we do. These banks are becoming more competitive as they improve their customer services and technology. One other private sector bank in India is also larger than we are, based on certain metrics. In addition, we compete directly with foreign banks, which include some of the largest multinational financial companies in the world. The economies of scale that our larger competitors benefit from make it difficult for us to offer competitive pricing on products and services to retain existing customers and attract new customers so that we can execute our growth strategy successfully. In February 2013, the RBI issued guidelines for the entry of new banks into the private sector, including eligibility criteria, capital requirements, shareholding structure, business plan and corporate governance practices. The RBI received approximately 26 applications for new bank licenses including from some of the largest business groups in India. In April 2014, the RBI provided in-principle approvals to two of the applicants, IDFC Limited and Bandhan Financial Services Private Limited. In fiscal 2016, each of these entities commenced banking operations as IDFC Bank and Bandhan Bank, respectively.

The RBI has liberalized the licensing regime and intends to issue licenses on an ongoing basis subject to its qualification criteria. In November 2014, the RBI released guidelines for the licensing of payment banks and small finance banks in the private sector. In May 2016, the RBI released draft guidelines for the “on–tap” licensing of universal banks in the private sector. Further liberalization of the Indian financial sector could lead to a greater presence or new entries of Indian and foreign banks offering a wider range of products and services, which could adversely impact our competitive environment. Due to competitive pressures, we may be unable to successfully execute our growth strategy and offer products and services at reasonable returns and this may adversely impact our business. If we are unable to retain and attract new customers, our revenue and net income will decline, which could materially adversely affect our financial condition. See “Business—Competition”.

 

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Our funding is primarily short- and medium-term and if depositors do not roll over deposited funds upon maturity our net income may decrease.

Most of our funding requirements are met through short-term and medium-term funding sources, primarily in the form of retail deposits. Short-term deposits are those with a maturity not exceeding one year. Medium-term deposits are those with a maturity of greater than one year but not exceeding three years. See “Selected Statistical Information—Funding”. However, a portion of our assets have long-term maturities, which sometimes causes funding mismatches. As of March 31, 2016, 39% of our loans are expected to mature within the next one year and 44% of our loans are expected to mature between the next one to three years. As of March 31, 2016, 39% of our deposits are expected to mature within the next one year and 41% of our deposits are expected to mature between the next one to three years. In our experience, a substantial portion of our customer deposits has been rolled over upon maturity and has been, over time, a stable source of funding. However, if a substantial number of our depositors do not roll over deposited funds upon maturity, our liquidity position will be adversely affected and we may be required to seek more expensive sources of funding to finance our operations, which would result in a decline in our net income and have a material adverse effect on our financial condition.

Any increase in interest rates would have an adverse effect on the value of our fixed income securities portfolio and could have a material adverse effect on our net income.

Any increase in interest rates would have an adverse effect on the value of our fixed income securities portfolio and could have a material adverse effect on our net revenue. Policy rates were successively increased from February 2010 to March 2012 during which the bout of interest rate tightening in India was faster than many other economies. The RBI raised key policy rates from 5.25% (repo rate) in April 2010 to 8.5% in October 2011. However, key policy rates were eased from 8.0% (repo rate) in April 2012 to 7.25% in May 2013. In July 2013, the RBI increased the rate for borrowings under its marginal standing facility (introduced by the RBI in fiscal 2012) from 100 basis points to 300 basis points above the repo rate. This rate was eased from 200 basis points above the repo rate in September 2013 to 100 basis points above repo rate in October 2013. In contrast, the policy rates were tightened from 7.5% (repo rate) in September 2013 to 8.0% in January 2014. The RBI reduced the policy repo rate again to 7.75% in January 2015, further reducing it to 7.5% in March 2015, 7.25% in June 2015, 6.75% in September 2015 and 6.5% in April 2016. We are, however, more structurally exposed to interest rate risk than banks in many other countries because of certain mandated reserve requirements of the RBI. See “Supervision and Regulation—Legal Reserve Requirements”. These requirements result in Indian banks, such as ourselves, maintaining (as per RBI guidelines currently in force) at least 21.0% of our liabilities (computed as per guidelines issued by the RBI) in bonds issued by the Government of India. We are also required to maintain 4% of our liabilities (computed as per guidelines issued by the RBI) by way of a balance with the RBI. This, in turn, means that we could be adversely impacted by a rise in interest rates, especially if the rise were sudden or sharp. A rise in yields on fixed income securities, including government securities, will likely adversely impact our profitability. The aforementioned requirements would also have a negative impact on our net interest income and net interest margins since interest earned on our investments in government-issued securities is generally lower than that earned on our other interest earning assets.

The development of a well entrenched nationwide inter-bank settlement system would adversely impact our cash float and decrease fees we receive in connection with check collection.

Currently, there is no well entrenched nationwide payment system in India, and checks must generally be returned to the city from which they were written in order to be cleared. Because of mail delivery delays and the variation in city-based inter-bank clearing practices, check collections can be slow and unpredictable. Through our electronically linked branch network, correspondent bank arrangements and centralized processing, we effectively provide a nationwide collection and disbursement system for our corporate clients. We enjoy cash float and earn fees from these services. If any of the current nationwide payment systems are further developed, this could have an adverse effect on the cash float and fees that we have traditionally received from the services we provided.

 

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We could experience a decline in our revenue generated from activities on the equity markets if there is a prolonged or significant downturn on the Indian stock exchanges, or we may face difficulties in getting regulatory approvals necessary to conduct our business if we fail to meet regulatory limits on capital market exposures.

We provide a variety of services and products to participants involved with the Indian stock exchanges. These include working capital funding and margin guarantees to share brokers, personal loans secured by shares, initial public offering finance for retail customers, stock exchange clearing services, collecting bankers to various public offerings and depositary accounts. If there is a prolonged or significant downturn on the Indian stock exchanges, our revenue generated by offering these products and services may decrease, which would have a material adverse effect on our financial condition.

We are required to maintain our capital market exposures within the limits as prescribed by the RBI. Our capital market exposures are comprised primarily of investments in equity shares, loans to share brokers and financial guarantees issued to stock exchanges on behalf of share brokers.

As per RBI norms, a bank’s capital market exposure is limited to 40% of its net worth under Indian GAAP, both on a consolidated and non-consolidated basis. Our capital market exposure as of March 31, 2016 was 21.5% of our net worth on a non-consolidated basis and 22.3% on a consolidated basis, in each case, under Indian GAAP. See “Supervision and Regulation—Regulations Relating to Capital Market Exposure Limits”. In the future if we fail to meet these regulatory limits, we may face difficulties in obtaining other regulatory approvals necessary to conduct our normal course of business, which would have a material adverse effect on our business and operations.

Significant fraud, system failure or calamities would disrupt our revenue generating activities in the short-term and could harm our reputation and adversely impact our revenue-generating capabilities.

Our business is highly dependent on our ability to efficiently and reliably process a high volume of transactions across numerous locations and delivery channels. We place heavy reliance on our technology infrastructure for processing this data and therefore ensuring the security of this system and its availability is of paramount importance. Our systemic and operational controls may not be adequate to prevent any adverse impact from frauds, errors, hacking and system failures. A significant system breakdown or system failure caused by intentional or unintentional acts would have an adverse impact on our revenue-generating activities and lead to financial loss. Our reputation could be adversely affected by fraud committed by employees, customers or outsiders, or by our perceived inability to properly manage fraud-related risks. Our inability or perceived inability to manage these risks could lead to enhanced regulatory oversight and scrutiny. We have established a geographically remote disaster recovery site to support critical applications, and we believe that we would be able to restore data and resume processing in the event of a significant system breakdown or failure. However, it is possible the disaster recovery site may also fail or it may take considerable time to make the system fully operational and achieve complete business resumption using the alternate site. Therefore, in such a scenario where the primary site is also completely unavailable, there may be significant disruption to our operations, which would materially adversely affect our reputation and financial condition.

Our business and financial results could be impacted materially by adverse results in legal proceedings.

We establish reserves for legal claims when payments associated with claims become probable and the costs can be reasonably estimated. We may still incur legal costs for a matter even if we have not established a reserve. In addition, the actual cost of resolving a legal claim may be substantially higher than any amounts reserved for that matter. The ultimate resolution of any pending or future legal proceeding, depending on the remedy sought and granted, could materially adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition. See “Business—Legal Proceedings.”

 

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We may breach third party intellectual property rights.

We may be subject to claims by third parties, both inside and outside India, if we breach their intellectual property rights by using slogans, names, designs, software or other such rights, which are of a similar nature to the intellectual property these third parties may have registered. Any legal proceedings which result in a finding that we have breached third parties’ intellectual property rights, or any settlements concerning such claims, may require us to provide financial compensation to such third parties or make changes to our marketing strategies or to the brand names of our products, which may have a materially adverse effect on our business prospects, reputation, results of operations and financial condition.

Negative publicity could damage our reputation and adversely impact our business and financial results.

Reputational risk, or the risk to our business, earnings and capital from negative publicity, is inherent in our business. The reputation of the financial services industry in general has been closely monitored as a result of the financial crisis and other matters affecting the financial services industry. Negative public opinion about the financial services industry generally or us specifically could adversely affect our ability to attract and retain customers, and may expose us to litigation and regulatory action. Negative publicity can result from our actual or alleged conduct in any number of activities, including lending practices, mortgage servicing and foreclosure practices, corporate governance, regulatory compliance, mergers and acquisitions and related disclosure, sharing or inadequate protection of customer information, and actions taken by government regulators and community organizations in response to that conduct. Although we take steps to minimize reputational risk in dealing with customers and other constituencies, we, as a large financial services organization with a high industry profile, are inherently exposed to this risk.

We face cyber threats, such as hacking, phishing and trojans, attempting to exploit our network to disrupt services to customers and/or theft of sensitive internal Bank data or customer information. This may cause damage to our reputation and adversely impact our business and financial results.

We offer internet banking services to our customers. Our internet banking channel includes multiple services such as electronic funds transfer, bill payment services, usage of credit cards on-line, requesting account statements, and requesting check books. We are therefore exposed to various cyber threats such as: a) phishing and trojans targeting our customers, whereby fraudsters send unsolicited mails to our customers seeking account-sensitive information or infecting customer computers in an attempt to search and export account-sensitive information; b) hacking, whereby attackers seek to hack into our website with the primary intention of causing reputational damage to us by disrupting services; and c) data theft whereby cyber criminals attempt to intrude into our network with the intention of stealing our data or information. Attempted cyber threats fluctuate in frequency but are generally not decreasing in frequency. There is also the risk of our customers incorrectly blaming us and terminating their accounts with us for a cyber-incident which might have occurred on their own system or with that of an unrelated third party. Any cyber security breach could also subject us to additional regulatory scrutiny and expose us to civil litigation and related financial liability.

We may face increased competition as a result of revised guidelines that relax restrictions on the presence of foreign banks in India and a proposal by the RBI to grant fresh banking licenses for the establishment of new banks in the private sector which could cause us to lose existing business or be unable to compete effectively for new business.

The Government of India regulates foreign ownership in private sector banks. Foreign ownership up to 74% of the paid-up capital is permitted in Indian private sector banks, however, under the Banking Regulation Act, a shareholder cannot exercise voting rights in excess of 10% of the total voting rights. The RBI, on February 28, 2005, released a “Roadmap for Presence of Foreign Banks in India and Guidelines on Ownership and Governance in Private Sector Banks” (the Roadmap).

The Roadmap envisages two phases. During the first phase, between March 2005 and March 2009, foreign banks were permitted to establish their presence in India by way of setting up a wholly-owned banking subsidiary (WOS) or converting their existing branches into a WOS. The WOS must have minimum capital of Rs. 3 billion and ensure sound corporate governance.

 

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Initially, equity participation by banks would be permitted only in the private sector banks that are identified by the RBI for restructuring. On an application made by a foreign bank for acquisition of 5% or more in any private bank, the RBI would consider the standing and reputation of the foreign bank and permit such acquisition only if it was satisfied that the investment by such foreign bank is in the long-term interest of all the stakeholders of the investee bank. It was proposed that in the second phase, beginning April 2009, the RBI would allow foreign banks to acquire up to 74% of equity capital in private sector banks in India, and would also enact appropriate amendments to the Banking Regulation Act to provide for voting rights commensurate with economic ownership. However, in light of the global financial turmoil and concerns regarding the financial strength of banks around the world, the RBI decided to put on hold the second phase of the Roadmap and leave unchanged its policy on the presence of foreign banks in the country. While announcing its annual policy for fiscal 2010, the RBI said that it would continue with the current policy and procedures governing the presence of foreign banks in India. A review will happen once there is greater clarity regarding stability, recovery of the global financial system, and a shared understanding on the regulatory and supervisory architecture around the world. In January 2011, the RBI released a discussion paper on the presence of foreign banks in India, seeking comments and suggestions. In November 2013, the RBI released its framework for establishing WOSs of foreign banks in India, which aims to tighten regulatory control and encourage foreign banks to convert their existing branches into WOSs. Any growth in the presence of foreign banks or in foreign investments in Indian banks may increase the competition that we face and, as a result, have a material adverse effect on our business. See “Restrictions on Foreign Ownership of Indian Securities”.

In February 2013, the RBI released guidelines for the licensing of new banks in the private sector. The key items covered under these guidelines include: i) promoters eligible to apply for banking licenses; ii) corporate structure; iii) minimum capital requirements for new banks; iv) foreign shareholding cap; v) corporate governance; and vi) business plan. The RBI has permitted private sector entities owned and controlled by Indian residents and entities in the public sector in India to apply to the RBI for a license to operate a bank through a wholly-owned non-operative financial holding company (NOFHC) route, subject to compliance with certain specified criteria. Such a NOFHC is permitted to be the holding company of the bank as well as any other financial services entity, with the objective that the holding company ring-fences the regulated financial services entities in the group, including the bank, from other activities of the group. The RBI received about 26 applications for new bank licenses, including from some of the largest business groups in India. In April 2014, the RBI provided in-principle approvals to two of the applicants, IDFC Limited and Bandhan Financial Services Private Limited. In fiscal 2016, each of these entities commenced banking operations as IDFC Bank and Bandhan Bank, respectively. The RBI has liberalized the licensing regime and intends to issue licenses on an ongoing basis subject to its qualification criteria. In November 2014, the RBI released guidelines for the licensing of payment banks and small finance banks in the private sector. If the number of banks in the country increases, we will face increased competition in the businesses we operate in. This could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial results.

Delays in obtaining prior RBI approval and/or our inability to meet the criteria specified by the RBI for opening new branches to increase our infrastructure and expand our reach into different geographical segments will restrict our expansion plans and have a negative impact on our future financial performance by preventing us from realizing anticipated revenue from the new branches.

The RBI issues instructions and guidelines to banks on branch authorization from time to time. Section 23 of the Banking Regulation Act provides that banks must obtain the prior approval of the RBI to open new branches. The RBI may cancel a license for violations of the conditions under which it was granted. With the objective of liberalizing and rationalizing the branch licensing process, the RBI, effective October 2013, granted general permission to banks, including us, to open branches in Tier 1 to Tier 6 centers, subject to a requirement to report to the RBI and certain other conditions. If we are unable to perform in a manner satisfactory to the RBI in any of these centers or comply with the specified conditions, it may have an impact on the number of branches we will be able to open, which would in turn have an impact on our future growth. This would adversely affect our financial performance by preventing us from realizing anticipated revenue from the new branches. See “Supervision and Regulation—Regulations Relating to the Opening of Branches”.

If the goodwill recorded in connection with our acquisitions becomes impaired, we may be required to record impairment charges, which would decrease our net income and total assets.

In accordance with U.S. GAAP, we have accounted for our acquisitions using the purchase method of accounting. We recorded the excess of the purchase price over the fair value of the assets and liabilities of the acquired companies as goodwill. U.S. GAAP requires us to test goodwill for impairment at least annually, or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that goodwill may be impaired. Goodwill is tested by initially estimating fair value of the reporting unit and then comparing it against the carrying amount including goodwill. If the carrying amount of a reporting unit exceeds its estimated fair value, we are required to record an impairment loss. The amount of impairment and the remaining amount of goodwill, if any, is determined by comparing the implied fair value of the reporting unit as of the test date against the carrying value of the assets and liabilities of that reporting unit as of the same date. See Note 2u, “Business Combination”, in our consolidated financial statements.

 

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The Companies Act, 2013 has effected significant changes to the existing Indian company law framework, which may subject us to higher compliance requirements and increase our compliance costs.

A majority of the provisions and rules under the Companies Act, 2013 have been notified and come into effect from the date of their respective notifications, resulting in the corresponding provisions of the Companies Act, 1956 ceasing to have effect. The Companies Act, 2013 has brought into effect significant changes to the Indian company law framework, such as in the provisions relating to the issue of capital, disclosures, corporate governance norms, audit matters, and related party transactions. Further, the Companies Act, 2013 has also introduced additional requirements which do not have corresponding equivalents under the Companies Act, 1956, including the introduction of a provision allowing the initiation of class action suits in India against companies by shareholders or depositors, a restriction on investment by an Indian company through more than two layers of subsidiary investment companies (subject to certain permitted exceptions), and prohibitions on advances to directors. We are also required to spend 2.0% of our average profits, computed in accordance with the Companies Act, 2013, during three immediately preceding financial years on corporate social responsibility activities. While we already spend a portion of our profits on corporate social responsibility activities, we may be required to increase our spending to comply with the requirements stipulated under the Companies Act, 2013. Further, the Companies Act, 2013 imposes greater monetary and other liability on the Bank, directors and officers in default, for any non-compliance with the requirements. To ensure compliance with the requirements of the Companies Act, 2013, we may need to allocate additional resources, which may increase our regulatory compliance costs and divert management attention.

Many of our branches have been recently added to our branch network and are not operating with the same efficiency as compared to the rest of our existing branches, which adversely affects our profitability.

As at March 31, 2011, we had 1,986 branches and as at March 31, 2016, we had 4,520 branches, a significant increase in the number of branches. Some of the newly added branches are currently operating at a lower efficiency level as compared with our established branches. While we believe that the newly added branches will achieve the productivity benchmark set for our entire network over time, the success in achieving our benchmark level of efficiency and productivity will depend on various internal and external factors, some of which are not under our control. The sub-optimal performance of the newly added branches, if continued over an extended period of time, would have a material adverse effect on our profitability.

Deficiencies in accuracy and completeness of information about customers and counterparties may adversely impact us.

We rely on accuracy and completeness of information about customers and counterparties while carrying out transactions with them or on their behalf. We may also rely on representations as to the accuracy and completeness of such information. For example, we may rely on reports of independent auditors with respect to financial statements, and decide to extend credit based on the assumption that the customer’s audited financial statements conform to generally accepted accounting principles and present fairly, in all material respects, the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the customer. Our financial condition and results of operations could be negatively impacted by such reliance on information that is inaccurate or materially misleading. This may affect the quality of information available to us about the credit history of our borrowers, especially individuals and small businesses. As a consequence, our ability to effectively manage our credit risk may be adversely affected.

We present our financial information differently in other markets or in certain reporting contexts.

In India, our equity shares are traded on the BSE Limited (BSE) and National Stock Exchange of India Limited (NSE). Under Indian laws and rules, we are required to report our financial results in India in Indian GAAP. Because of the difference in accounting principles and presentation, certain financial information available in our required filings in the United States may be presented differently than in the financial information we provide under Indian GAAP.

Additionally, we make available information on our website and in our presentations in order to provide investors a view of our business through metrics similar to what our management uses to measure our performance. Some of the information we make available from time to time may be in relation to our unconsolidated or our consolidated results under Indian GAAP or under U.S. GAAP. Potential investors should read any notes or disclaimers to such financial information when evaluating our performance to confirm how the information is being presented, since the information that may have been prepared with a different presentation may not be directly comparable.

 

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Public companies in India, including us, will be required to prepare financial statements under IFRS or a variation thereof, Indian Accounting Standards, as per the implementation road map drawn up by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs. We may be adversely affected by this transition.

The Ministry of Corporate Affairs, in its press release dated January 18, 2016, issued a roadmap for the implementation of Indian Accounting Standards (IND-AS) converged with IFRS for scheduled commercial banks, insurance companies and non-banking financial companies (Roadmap). The Roadmap requires such institutions to prepare IND-AS based financial statements for the accounting periods commencing on or after April 1, 2018, and to prepare comparatives for the periods ending on or after March 31, 2018. The RBI, in its circular dated February 11, 2016, requires all scheduled commercial banks to comply with IND-AS for financial statements for the periods stated above. The RBI does not permit banks to adopt IND-AS earlier than these timelines. We have not yet determined with any degree of certainty the impact that such adoption will have on our financial reporting. The new accounting standards will change, among other things, our methodologies for estimating allowances for probable loan losses and classifying and valuing our investment portfolio, as well as our revenue recognition policy. It is possible that our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and changes in shareholders’ equity may appear materially different under IND-AS than under Indian or U.S. GAAP. Further, during the transition to IND-AS reporting, we may encounter difficulties in the ongoing implementation of the new standards and development of our management information systems. Given the increased competition for the small number of IFRS-experienced accounting personnel in India, it may be difficult for us to employ the appropriate accounting personnel to assist us in preparing IND-AS financial statements. Moreover, there is no significant body of established practice from which we may draw when forming judgments regarding the application of the new accounting standards. Any failure to successfully adopt IND-AS could adversely affect the Bank’s business, financial condition and results of operations.

Risks Relating to Investments in Indian Companies

Financial instability in other countries may cause increased volatility in Indian financial markets.

The Indian market and the Indian economy are influenced by the economic and market conditions in other countries, particularly the emerging market countries in Asia. Financial turmoil in Asia, Russia and elsewhere in the world in recent years has affected the Indian economy. Although economic conditions are different in each country, investors’ reactions to developments in one country can have adverse effects on the securities of companies in other countries, including India. A loss of investor confidence in the financial systems of other emerging markets may cause increased volatility in Indian financial markets and, indirectly, in the Indian economy in general. Any worldwide financial instability could also have a negative impact on the Indian economy. Financial disruptions may occur again and could harm the Bank’s business, its future financial performance and the prices of the equity shares.

The global credit and equity markets have experienced substantial dislocations, liquidity disruptions and market corrections in recent years. In particular, sub-prime mortgage loans in the United States have experienced increased rates of delinquency, foreclosure and loss. Since September 2008, liquidity and credit concerns and volatility in the global credit and financial markets increased significantly with the bankruptcy or acquisition of, and government assistance extended to, several major U.S. financial institutions. The United States continues to face adverse economic conditions and should a further downgrade of the sovereign credit ratings of the U.S. government occur, it is foreseeable that the ratings and perceived creditworthiness of instruments issued, insured or guaranteed by institutions, agencies or instrumentalities directly linked to the U.S. government could also be correspondingly affected by any such downgrade, which may have an adverse effect on the economic outlook across the world. Due to declining oil prices in fiscal 2016, the credit ratings for many oil exporting countries were downgraded. Such downgrades have the potential to impact the financial instruments issued from such countries. We have outstanding bonds issued from our Bahrain branch. In February 2016, S&P lowered its long- and short-term foreign and local currency sovereign credit ratings on the Kingdom of Bahrain to BB/B (stable) from BBB-/A3 (negative). The rating criteria published by S&P restrict the rating of any bond issued in a jurisdiction to the host country rating. Following Bahrain’s recent sovereign credit rating downgrade, S&P placed the long-term issue rating of the senior unsecured bonds issued by our Bahrain branch on CreditWatch with negative implications. Subsequent to the rating action, we put a structure in place guaranteeing payment on these bonds by our Hong Kong branch or one of our Indian branches should our Bahrain branch be unable to service these bonds. In July 2016, S&P removed these bonds from CreditWatch with negative implications and affirmed the senior unsecured bonds’ BBB- long-term issue rating. Any further downgrades to the sovereign credit ratings of countries in which we operate or any other country may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position and the trading price of our equity shares.

 

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Recent developments in the Eurozone have exacerbated the ongoing global economic crisis. Large budget deficits and rising public debts have triggered sovereign debt crises in multiple European countries that resulted in the bailout of certain economies and increased the risk of government debt defaults, forcing governments to undertake aggressive budget cuts and austerity measures. On the back of this crisis, the United Kingdom recently voted to leave the European Union, prompting a plunge in the sterling and a credit rating downgrade. The outcome of the U.K. referendum has the potential to trigger further exits from the European Economic and Monetary Union. While the terms of the U.K.’s exit from the European Union are negotiated, the uncertainty regarding the future of the United Kingdom and the European Union could pose downside risks to global growth prospects and keep financial markets on edge. In addition, the sovereign ratings of various European Union countries have been downgraded since 2012. Financial markets and the supply of credit could continue to be negatively impacted by ongoing concerns surrounding the sovereign debts and fiscal deficits of European countries, the possibility of further downgrades of, or defaults on, sovereign debt, concerns regarding a slowdown in growth in certain economies and uncertainties regarding the stability and overall standing of the European Monetary Union. These and other related events have had a significant impact on the global credit and financial markets as a whole, including reduced liquidity, greater volatility, the widening of credit spreads and a lack of price transparency.

In response to such developments, legislators and financial regulators in the United States, Europe and other jurisdictions, including India, have implemented several policy measures designed to add stability to the financial markets. However, the overall impact of these and other legislative and regulatory efforts on the global financial markets is uncertain, and they may not have the intended stabilizing effects. In the event that the current adverse conditions in the global credit markets continue or if there is any significant financial disruption, this could have an adverse effect on our business, future financial performance and the trading price of our equity shares.

Any adverse change in India’s credit rating by an international rating agency could adversely affect our business and profitability.

The Bank is rated BBB- by Standard & Poor’s (S&P), an international rating agency, while the Bank’s medium term notes program is rated Baa3 by Moody’s, another international rating agency. In the case of the international rating agencies, the ratings of all Indian banks are capped at the sovereign rating (that is, BBB- by S&P and Baa3 by Moody’s). In India, the Bank is rated AAA by CRISIL, CARE and India Ratings (the Indian arm of Fitch Ratings), which are the highest credit ratings assigned on the domestic scale.

There is a risk that the Bank’s ratings may be downgraded when the rating agencies revise their outlook on India’s sovereign rating or when there is a significant deterioration in the Bank’s existing financial strength and business position. The Bank’s rating may also be revised when the rating agencies undertake changes to their rating methodologies. For instance, in April 2015, Moody’s revised its bank rating methodology and the assessment of government support to banks, following which the ratings of several banks globally, including Indian banks, were revised. Following this methodology change, the Bank’s rating was revised to Baa3 from Baa2 so as to cap it at the Indian sovereign rating. Going forward, the sovereign ratings outlook will remain dependent on whether the government is able to transition the economy out of a low-growth and high inflation environment, as well as exercise adequate fiscal restraint. Any adverse change in India’s credit ratings by international rating agencies may adversely impact our business and limit our access to capital markets, our cost of borrowing and liquidity.

Any volatility in the exchange rate may lead to a decline in India’s foreign exchange reserves and may affect liquidity and interest rates in the Indian economy, which could adversely impact us.

Capital flows have picked up substantially during fiscals 2015 and 2016, reflecting a reassessment of investor expectations about future domestic growth prospects following the election of a pro-reform government in 2014. While the current account deficit (CAD) remained a main area of concern over fiscal 2012 and fiscal 2013, it shrunk sharply in fiscal 2014 to 1.7% of GDP, and fell further in fiscals 2015 and 2016 to 1.3% and 1.0% of GDP, respectively. A sharp contraction in the oil imports bill on the back of a near fifty percent decline in global crude prices was the main reason behind the improvement in the current account position. However, the increase in the quantum of capital flows was reduced to a certain extent as a result of volatility in the Indian rupee. Going forward, the Indian rupee may be impacted by factors such as: (a) the possibility of a gradual tightening in U.S. monetary policy, (b) uncertainty surrounding the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union, (c) the slower pace of growth in China, and (d) the prospect of an above-normal monsoon season, which could revive rural demand. Further, global risk aversion could mean a continuation of the rotation of global fund flows from emerging markets to U.S. markets over the medium term. However, the Indian rupee may be less vulnerable than other emerging market currencies on the back of an improvement in the CAD and a moderation in inflation rates. Nevertheless, it remains a possibility that the RBI will intervene in the foreign exchange markets to stamp out excess volatility in the exchange rate in the event of potential shocks, such as an increase in U.S. interest rates or a break-down in the negotiations between EU and U.K. policymakers. Any such intervention by the RBI may result in a decline in India’s foreign exchange reserves and, subsequently, reduce the amount of liquidity in the domestic financial system, which would, in turn, cause domestic interest rates to rise.

 

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Further, any increased volatility in capital flows may also affect monetary policy decision-making. For instance, a period of net capital outflows might force the RBI to keep monetary policy tighter than optimal to guard against currency depreciation.

Political instability or changes in the government in India could delay the liberalization of the Indian economy and adversely affect economic conditions in India generally, which would impact our financial results and prospects.

Since 1991, successive Indian governments have pursued policies of economic liberalization, including significantly relaxing restrictions on the private sector. Nevertheless, the roles of the Indian central and state governments in the Indian economy as producers, consumers and regulators remain significant as independent factors in the Indian economy. The election of a pro-business majority government in May 2014 has marked a distinct increase in expectations for policy and economic reforms among certain aspects of the Indian economy. There is no guarantee that the new government will be able to enact an optimal set of reforms or that any such reforms would continue or succeed if there were a change in the current majority leadership in the government in the future. There is also no guarantee that the government will announce an optimal set of reforms or policies in the future. The rate of economic liberalization is subject to change and specific laws and policies affecting banking and finance companies, foreign investment, currency exchange and other matters affecting investment in our securities are continuously evolving as well. Other major reforms that have been proposed are the goods and services tax and the general anti-avoidance rules. Any significant change in India’s economic liberalization, deregulation policies or other major economic reforms could adversely affect business and economic conditions in India generally and our business in particular.

Terrorist attacks, civil unrest and other acts of violence or war involving India and other countries would negatively affect the Indian market where our shares trade and lead to a loss of confidence and impair travel, which could reduce our customers’ appetite for our products and services.

Terrorist attacks, such as those in Mumbai in November 2008, and other acts of violence or war may negatively affect the Indian markets on which our equity shares trade and also adversely affect the worldwide financial markets. These acts may also result in a loss of business confidence, make travel and other services more difficult and, as a result, ultimately adversely affect our business. In addition, any deterioration in relations between India and Pakistan or between India and China might result in investor concern about stability in the region, which could adversely affect the price of our equity shares and ADSs.

India has also witnessed civil disturbances in recent years and future civil unrest as well as other adverse social, economic and political events in India could have an adverse impact on us. Such incidents also create a greater perception that investment in Indian companies involves a higher degree of risk, which could have an adverse impact on our business and the price of our equity shares and ADSs.

Investors may have difficulty enforcing foreign judgments in India against the Bank or its management.

The Bank was constituted under the Companies Act, 1956. Substantially all of the Bank’s directors and executive officers and some of the experts named herein are residents of India and a substantial portion of the assets of the Bank and such persons are located in India. As a result, it may not be possible for investors to effect service of process on the Bank or such persons in jurisdictions outside of India, or to enforce against them judgments obtained in courts outside of India predicated upon civil liabilities of the Bank or such directors and executive officers under laws other than Indian Law.

In addition, India is not a party to any international treaty in relation to the recognition or enforcement of foreign judgments. Recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments is provided for under section 13 and section 44A of the Indian Civil Procedure Code (Code). Section 44A of the Code provides that where a foreign judgment has been rendered by a superior court in any country or territory outside India that the government has, by notification, declared to be a reciprocating territory, that judgment may be enforced in India by proceedings in execution as if it had been rendered by the relevant court in India. However, section 44A of the Code is applicable only to monetary decrees not being in the nature of any amounts payable in respect of taxes or other charges of a like nature or in respect of a fine or other penalty and is not applicable to arbitration awards.

 

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The United States has not been declared by the government to be a reciprocating territory for the purposes of section 44A of the Code. However, the United Kingdom has been declared by the government to be a reciprocating territory and the High Courts in England as the relevant superior courts. A judgment of a court in a jurisdiction which is not a reciprocating territory, such as the United States, may be enforced only by a new suit upon the judgment and not by proceedings in execution. Section 13 of the Code provides that a foreign judgment shall be conclusive as to any matter thereby directly adjudicated upon except: (i) where it has not been pronounced by a court of competent jurisdiction; (ii) where it has not been given on the merits of the case; (iii) where it appears on the face of the proceedings to be founded on an incorrect view of international law or a refusal to recognize the law of India in cases where such law is applicable; (iv) where the proceedings in which the judgment was obtained were opposed to natural justice; (v) where it has been obtained by fraud; or (vi) where it sustains a claim founded on a breach of any law in force in India. The suit must be brought in India within three years from the date of the judgment in the same manner as any other suit filed to enforce a civil liability in India. It is unlikely that a court in India would award damages on the same basis as a foreign court if an action is brought in India. Furthermore, it is unlikely that an Indian court would enforce a foreign judgment if it viewed the amount of damages awarded as excessive or inconsistent with Indian practice. A party seeking to enforce a foreign judgment in India is required to obtain approval from the RBI to repatriate outside India any amount recovered pursuant to execution. Any judgment in a foreign currency would be converted into Indian rupees on the date of the judgment and not on the date of the payment. The Bank cannot predict whether a suit brought in an Indian court will be disposed of in a timely manner or be subject to considerable delays.

Risks Relating to the ADSs and Equity Shares

Historically, our ADSs have traded at a premium to the trading prices of our underlying equity shares, a situation which may not continue.

Historically, our ADSs have traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) at a premium to the trading prices of our underlying equity shares on the Indian stock exchanges. See “Price Range of Our American Depositary Shares and Equity Shares” for the underlying data. We believe that this price premium has resulted from the relatively small portion of our market capitalization previously represented by ADSs, restrictions imposed by Indian law on the conversion of equity shares into ADSs, and an apparent preference for investors to trade dollar-denominated securities. Over time, some of the restrictions on issuance of ADSs imposed by Indian law have been relaxed and we expect that other restrictions may be relaxed in the future. It is possible that in the future our ADSs will not trade at any premium to our equity shares and could even trade at a discount to our equity shares.

Investors in ADSs will not be able to vote.

Investors in ADSs will have no voting rights, unlike holders of the equity shares. Under the deposit agreement, the depositary will abstain from voting the equity shares represented by the ADSs. If you wish, you may withdraw the equity shares underlying the ADSs and seek to vote (subject to Indian restrictions on foreign ownership) the equity shares you obtain upon withdrawal. However, this withdrawal process may be subject to delays, additional costs and you may not be able to redeposit the equity shares. For a discussion of the legal restrictions triggered by a withdrawal of the equity shares from the depositary facility upon surrender of ADSs, see “Restrictions on Foreign Ownership of Indian Securities” and “Description of American Depositary Shares—Voting Rights”.

Your ability to withdraw equity shares from the depositary facility is uncertain and may be subject to delays.

India’s restrictions on foreign ownership of Indian companies limit the number of equity shares that may be owned by foreign investors and generally require government approval for foreign investments. Investors who withdraw equity shares from the ADS depositary facility for the purpose of selling such equity shares will be subject to Indian regulatory restrictions on foreign ownership upon withdrawal. The withdrawal process may be subject to delays. For a discussion of the legal restrictions triggered by a withdrawal of equity shares from the depositary facility upon surrender of ADSs, see “Restrictions on Foreign Ownership of Indian Securities”.

Restrictions on deposit of equity shares in the depositary facility could adversely affect the price of our ADSs.

Under current Indian regulations, an ADS holder who surrenders ADSs and withdraws equity shares may deposit those equity shares again in the depositary facility in exchange for ADSs. An investor who has purchased equity shares in the Indian market may also deposit those equity shares in the ADS program. However, the deposit of equity shares may be subject to securities law restrictions and the restriction that the cumulative aggregate number of equity shares that can be deposited as of any time cannot exceed the cumulative aggregate number represented by ADSs converted into underlying equity shares as of such time. These restrictions increase the risk that the market price of our ADSs will be below that of the equity shares.

 

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There is a limited market for the ADSs.

Although our ADSs are listed and traded on the NYSE, any trading market for our ADSs may not be sustained, and there is no assurance that the present price of our ADSs will correspond to the future price at which our ADSs will trade in the public market. Indian legal restrictions may also limit the supply of ADSs. The only way to add to the supply of ADSs would be through an additional issuance. We cannot guarantee that a market for the ADSs will continue.

Conditions in the Indian securities market may affect the price or liquidity of our equity shares and ADSs.

The Indian securities markets are smaller and more volatile than securities markets in more developed economies. The Indian stock exchanges have in the past experienced substantial fluctuations in the prices of listed securities. Currently prices of securities listed on Indian exchanges are displaying signs of volatility linked among other factors to the uncertainty in the global markets and the rising inflationary and interest rate pressures domestically. The governing bodies of the Indian stock exchanges have from time to time imposed restrictions on trading in certain securities, limitations on price movements and margin requirements. Future fluctuations or trading restrictions could have a material adverse effect on the price of our equity shares and ADSs.

Settlement of trades of equity shares on Indian stock exchanges may be subject to delays.

The equity shares represented by our ADSs are listed on the NSE and BSE. Settlement on these stock exchanges may be subject to delays and an investor in equity shares withdrawn from the depositary facility upon surrender of ADSs may not be able to settle trades on these stock exchanges in a timely manner.

You may be subject to Indian taxes arising out of capital gains

Generally, capital gains, whether short-term or long-term, arising on the sale of the underlying equity shares in India is subject to Indian capital gains tax. Investors are advised to consult their own tax advisers and to carefully consider the potential tax consequences of an investment in ADSs. See also “Taxation”.

You may be unable to exercise preemptive rights available to other shareholders.

A company incorporated in India must offer its holders of equity shares preemptive rights to subscribe and pay for a proportionate number of shares to maintain their existing ownership percentages prior to the issuance of any new equity shares, unless these rights have been waived by at least 75.0% of the company’s shareholders present and voting at a shareholders’ general meeting. U.S. investors in our ADSs may be unable to exercise preemptive rights for our equity shares underlying our ADSs unless a registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933 (the Securities Act) is effective with respect to those rights or an exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act is available. Our decision to file a registration statement will depend on the costs and potential liabilities associated with any registration statement as well as the perceived benefits of enabling U.S. investors in our ADSs to exercise their preemptive rights and any other factors we consider appropriate at the time. We do not commit to filing a registration statement under those circumstances. If we issue any securities in the future, these securities may be issued to the depositary, which may sell these securities in the securities markets in India for the benefit of the investors in our ADSs. There can be no assurance as to the value, if any, the depositary would receive upon the sale of these securities. To the extent that investors in our ADSs are unable to exercise preemptive rights, their proportional interests in us would be reduced.

Financial difficulty and other problems in certain financial institutions in India could adversely affect our business and the price of our ADSs and equity shares.

We are exposed to the risks of the Indian financial system by being a part of the system which may be affected by the financial difficulties faced by certain Indian financial institutions because the commercial soundness of many financial institutions may be closely related as a result of credit, trading, clearing or other relationships. Such “systemic risk”, may adversely affect financial intermediaries, such as clearing agencies, banks, securities firms and exchanges with which we interact on a daily basis. Any such difficulties or instability of the Indian financial system in general could create an adverse market perception about Indian financial institutions and banks and adversely affect our business. Our transactions with these financial institutions expose us to various risks in the event of default by a counterparty, which can be exacerbated during periods of market illiquidity.

 

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Because the equity shares underlying our ADSs are quoted in rupees in India, you may be subject to potential losses arising out of exchange rate risk on the Indian rupee and risks associated with the conversion of rupee proceeds into foreign currency.

Fluctuations in the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the Indian rupee may affect the value of your investment in our ADSs. Specifically, if the relative value of the Indian rupee to the U.S. dollar declines, each of the following values will also decline:

 

    the U.S. dollar equivalent of the Indian rupee trading price of our equity shares in India and, indirectly, the U.S. dollar trading price of our ADSs in the United States;

 

    the U.S. dollar equivalent of the proceeds that you would receive upon the sale in India of any equity shares that you withdraw from the depositary; and

 

    the U.S. dollar equivalent of cash dividends, if any, paid in Indian rupees on the equity shares represented by our ADSs.

You may not be able to enforce a judgment of a foreign court against us.

We are a limited liability company incorporated under the laws of India. All our directors and members of our senior management and some of the experts named in this report are residents of India and almost all of our assets and the assets of these persons are located in India. It may not be possible for investors in our ADSs to effect service of process outside India upon us or our directors and members of our senior management and experts named in the report that are residents of India or to enforce judgments obtained against us or these persons in foreign courts predicated upon the liability provisions of foreign countries, including the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States. Moreover, it is unlikely that a court in India would award damages on the same basis as a foreign court if an action were brought in India or that an Indian court would enforce foreign judgments if it viewed the amount of damages as excessive or inconsistent with Indian practice.

There may be less information available on Indian securities markets than securities markets in developed countries.

There is a difference between the level of regulation and monitoring of the Indian securities markets and the activities of investors, brokers and other participants and that of markets in the United States and other developed economies. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and the stock exchanges are responsible for improving disclosure and other regulatory standards for the Indian securities markets. The SEBI has issued regulations and guidelines on disclosure requirements, insider trading and other matters. There may, however, be less publicly available information about Indian companies than is regularly made available by public companies in developed economies.

Foreign Account Tax Compliance withholding may affect payments on the equity shares and the ADSs.

Sections 1471 through 1474 of the Code (provisions commonly known as “FATCA” or the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act) impose (a) certain reporting and due diligence requirements on foreign financial institutions and, (b) potentially require such foreign financial institutions to deduct a 30% withholding tax from (i) certain payments from sources within the United States, and (ii) “foreign passthru payments” (which is not yet defined in current guidance) made to certain non-U.S. financial institutions that do not comply with such reporting and due diligence requirements or certain other payees that do not provide required information. The United States has entered a number of intergovernmental agreements with other jurisdictions (IGAs) which may modify the operation of this withholding. The Bank as well as relevant intermediaries such as custodians and depositary participants are classified as financial institutions for these purposes. Given that India has entered into a Model 1 IGA with the United States for giving effect to FATCA, Indian financial institutions such as the Bank are also required to comply with FATCA, based on the terms of the intergovernmental agreement (IGA) and relevant rules made pursuant thereto.

Under current guidance it is not clear whether or to what extent payments on ADSs or equity shares will be considered “foreign passthru payments” subject to FATCA withholding or the extent to which withholding on “foreign passthru payments” will be required under the applicable IGA. Investors should consult their own tax advisers on how the FATCA rules may apply to payments they receive in respect of the ADSs or equity shares.

Should any withholding tax in respect of FATCA be deducted or withheld from any payments arising to any investor, neither the Bank nor any other person will pay additional amounts as a result of the deduction or withholding.

 

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PRICE RANGE OF OUR AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES AND EQUITY SHARES

Our ADSs, each representing three equity shares, par value Rs. 2.0 per equity share, are listed on the NYSE under the symbol “HDB”. Our equity shares, including those underlying the ADSs, are listed on the NSE under the symbol “HDFCBANK” and the BSE under the code 500180. Our fiscal quarters end on June 30 of each year for the first quarter, September 30 for the second quarter, December 31 for the third quarter and March 31 for the fourth quarter.

Trading Prices of Our ADSs on the NYSE

The following table shows:

 

    the reported high and low prices for our ADSs in U.S. dollars on the NYSE; and

 

    the average daily trading volume for our ADSs on the NYSE.

 

     Price per ADS      Average daily ADS
trading volume
 

Fiscal

   High      Low      (Number of ADSs)  

2012

   US$           36.8       US$           24.5         1,031,409   

2013

        43.0            27.3         698,845   

2014

        43.8            26.6         949,054   

2015

              

First Quarter

        48.8            39.3         1,105,441   

Second Quarter

        51.7            45.6         817,861   

Third Quarter

        54.7            45.6         810,609   

Fourth Quarter

        64.0            49.3         1,316,123   

2016

              

First Quarter

        61.8            54.2         816,835   

Second Quarter

        64.1            51.6         813,647   

Third Quarter

        65.4            56.1         702,302   

Fourth Quarter

        62.0            51.1         780,966   

Most Recent Six Months

              

January 2016

        60.9            53.1         799,732   

February 2016

        60.5            51.1         817,925   

March 2016

        62.0            53.1         731,159   

April 2016

        64.0            59.8         617,724   

May 2016

        65.0            61.7         624,671   

June 2016

        67.1            63.3         645,823   

July 1, 2016 to July 22, 2016

        69.5            65.1         457,040   

Our shareholders at the annual general meeting held on July 6, 2011 approved the subdivision of our one equity share having a nominal value of Rs. 10.0 each into five equity shares having a nominal value of Rs. 2.0 each. Necessary instructions were issued to JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., the depositary, for the ADSs to effect the split in the ADSs so as to ensure that the ratio between the ADSs and the underlying equity shares remains 1:3 as on the date prior to the subdivision.

The closing price for our ADSs on the NYSE was US$ 69.4 per ADS on July 22, 2016.

Trading Prices of Our Equity Shares on the National Stock Exchange

The following table shows:

 

    the reported high and low market prices for our equity shares in rupees on the NSE;

 

    the imputed high and low prices for our equity shares translated into U.S. dollars, based on the noon buying rate in the city of New York for cable transfers in Indian rupees at U.S.$1.00 = Rs. 66.25 on March 31, 2016; and

 

    the average daily trading volume for our equity shares on the NSE.

 

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     Price per
equity share
     Price per
equity share
     Average daily
equity share
trading volume
 
     High      Low      High      Low     

Fiscal Year

                    

2012

   Rs. 539.9       Rs. 400.3       US$           8.1       US$           6.0         3,420,299   

2013

     705.5         482.2            10.6            7.3         2,660,099   

2014

     760.8         528.0            11.5            8.0         3,143,188   

2015

                    

First Quarter

     856.0         707.3            12.9            10.7         2,354,148   

Second Quarter

     879.8         791.4            13.3            11.9         1,814,656   

Third Quarter

     974.0         854.1            14.7            12.9         1,779,679   

Fourth Quarter

     1109.3         936.3            16.7            14.1         1,995,233   

2016

                    

First Quarter

     1072.0         944.2            16.2            14.3         1,662,475   

Second Quarter

     1128.0         977.0            17.0            14.7         1,455,951   

Third Quarter

     1124.0         1,040.1            17.0            15.7         1,156,124   

Fourth Quarter

     1108.0         928.0            16.7            14.0         1,556,754   

Most Recent Six Months

                    

January 2016

     1108.0         1007.9            16.7            15.2         1,393,860   

February 2016

     1067.0         928.0            16.1            14.0         1,701,722   

March 2016

     1078.9         971.9            16.3            14.7         1,567,430   

April 2016

     1136.7         1042.9            17.2            15.7         1,377,189   

May 2016

     1195.0         1113.2            18.0            16.8         1,247,373   

June 2016

     1191.9         1144.3            18.0            17.3         1,186,246   

July 1, 2016 to July 22, 2016

     1239.9         1160.9            18.7            17.5         1,362,938   

Our shareholders, by a special resolution on July 6, 2011, approved a stock split resulting in a reduction in the par value of each equity share from Rs.10.0 to Rs. 2.0 effective as of July 16, 2011.

The closing price for our equity shares on the National Stock Exchange was Rs. 1,230.8 per share on July 22, 2016.

As of March 31, 2016, there were 479,869 holders of record of our equity shares, including the shares underlying ADSs and GDRs, of which 410 had registered addresses in the United States and held an aggregate of 19,042,679 equity shares representing 0.09% of our shareholders. In our books only, the depositary, JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., is the shareholder with respect to equity shares underlying the ADSs and GDRs.

Upon our acquisition of Centurion Bank of Punjab (CBoP) in 2008, CBoP had global depository receipts (GDRs) outstanding, representing the right to receive shares in CBoP, which, upon the consummation of the acquisition, converted into our GDRs, representing the right to receive our shares. As of March 31, 2016, there were 22,891,290 GDRs outstanding, representing 11,445,645 shares of the Bank (in aggregate 0.45% of our paid-up capital).

 

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DESCRIPTION OF EQUITY SHARES

The Company

We are registered under Corporate Identity Number (CIN) L65920MH1994PLC080618 with the Registrar of Companies, Maharashtra State, India. Our Memorandum of Association permits us to engage in a wide variety of activities, including all the activities in which we currently engage or intend to engage, as well as other activities in which we currently have no intention of engaging.

Dividends

Under Indian law, a company pays dividends upon a recommendation by its board of directors and approval by a majority of its shareholders at the annual general meeting of shareholders held within six months of the end of each fiscal year. The shareholders have the right to decrease but not increase the dividend amount recommended by the Board of Directors. Dividends are generally declared as a percentage of par value (on per share basis) and distributed and paid to shareholders. The Companies Act provides that shares of a company of the same class must receive equal dividend treatment.

These distributions and payments are required to be deposited into a separate bank account within 5 days of the declaration of such dividend and paid to shareholders within 30 days of the annual general meeting where the resolution for declaration of dividends is approved.

The Companies Act states that any dividends that remain unpaid or unclaimed after that period are to be transferred to a special bank account. Any money that remains unclaimed for seven years from the date of the transfer is to be transferred by us to a fund, called the Investor Education and Protection Fund, created by the Government of India.

Our Articles authorize our Board of Directors to declare interim dividends, the amount of which must be deposited in a separate bank account within five days and paid to the shareholders within 30 days of the declaration.

Under the Companies Act, final dividends payable can be paid only in cash to the registered shareholder at a record date fixed prior to the relevant annual general meeting, to his order or to the order of his banker.

Before paying any dividend on our shares, we are required under the Indian Banking Regulation Act to write off all capitalized expenses (including preliminary expenses, organization expenses, share-selling commission, brokerage, amounts of losses incurred or any other item of expenditure not represented by tangible assets). We are permitted to declare dividends of up to 35.0% of net profit calculated under Indian GAAP without prior RBI approval subject to compliance with certain prescribed requirements. Further, upon compliance with the prescribed requirements, we are also permitted to declare interim dividends subject to the above-mentioned cap computed for the relevant accounting period.

Dividends may only be paid out of our profits for the relevant year and in certain contingencies out of the reserves of the company. Before declaring dividends, we are required by the RBI to transfer 25% of our net profits (calculated under Indian GAAP) of each year to a reserve fund.

Bonus Shares

In addition to permitting dividends to be paid out of current or retained earnings calculated under Indian GAAP, the Companies Act permits our Board of Directors, subject to the approval of our shareholders, to distribute to the shareholders, in the form of fully paid-up bonus equity shares, an amount transferred from the company’s free reserves, securities premium account or the capital redemption reserve account. Bonus equity shares can be distributed only with the prior approval of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). These bonus equity shares must be distributed to shareholders in proportion to the number of equity shares owned by them.

Bonus shares can only be issued if the company has not defaulted in payments of statutory dues or principal/interest payments on fixed deposits or debt securities issued by it. Bonus shares must not be issued in lieu of dividend.

 

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Preemptive Rights and Issue of Additional Shares

The Companies Act gives shareholders the right to subscribe for new shares in proportion to their existing shareholdings unless otherwise determined by a resolution passed by three-fourths of the shareholders present and voting at a general meeting. Under the Companies Act and our Articles, in the event of an issuance of securities, subject to the limitations set forth above, we must first offer the new shares to the holders of equity shares on a fixed record date. The offer, required to be made by notice, must include:

 

    the right, exercisable by the shareholders of record, to renounce the shares offered in favor of any other person;

 

    the number of shares offered; and

 

    the period of the offer, which may not be less than 15 days from the date of the offer and shall not exceed 30 days. If the offer is not accepted, it is deemed to have been declined.

Our Board of Directors is permitted to distribute equity shares not accepted by existing shareholders in the manner it deems beneficial for us in accordance with our Articles. Holders of ADSs may not be able to participate in any such offer. See “Description of American Depositary Shares—Share Dividends and Other Distributions”.

General Meetings of Shareholders

There are two types of general meetings of shareholders: annual general meetings and extraordinary general meetings. We are required to convene our annual general meeting within six months after the end of each fiscal year. We may convene an extraordinary general meeting when necessary or at the request of a shareholder or shareholders holding on the date of the request at least 10% of our paid up capital. A general meeting is generally convened by our company secretary in accordance with a resolution of the Board of Directors. Written notice or notice via email or other permitted electronic means stating the agenda of the meeting must be given at least 21 days prior to the date set for the general meeting to the shareholders whose names are in the register at the record date. Shorter notice is permitted if consent is received from 95% of the members entitled to vote. Those shareholders who are not registered at the record date do not receive notice of this meeting and are not entitled to attend or vote at this meeting.

The annual general meeting is held in Mumbai, the city in which our registered office is located. General meetings other than the annual general meeting may be held at any location if so determined by a resolution of our Board of Directors.

Voting Rights

A shareholder has one vote for each equity share and voting may be on a poll or through electronic means or postal ballot. In terms of Section 12 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 as amended with effect from January 18, 2013 by the Banking Laws Amendment Act, 2012, no person holding shares in a banking company shall, in respect of any shares held by such person, exercise voting rights on poll in excess of 10% of the total voting rights of all the shareholders of the banking company, provided that the RBI may increase, in a phased manner, such ceiling on voting rights from 10% to 26%. The Master Direction—Ownership in Private Sector Banks, Directions, 2016, issued by the RBI on May 12, 2016, states that the current level of ceiling on voting rights is 15%.

Unless the Articles provide for a larger number, the quorum for a general meeting is: (a) five members present (in person or by proxy) if the number of members as on the date of the meeting is not more than one thousand; (b) fifteen members present (in person or by proxy) if the number of members as on the date of the meeting is more than one thousand but not more than five thousand; and (c) thirty members present (in person or by proxy) if the number of members as on the date of the meeting exceeds five thousand. Generally, resolutions may be passed by simple majority of the shareholders present and voting at any general meeting. However, resolutions such as an amendment to the organizational documents, commencement of a new line of business, an issue of additional equity shares (which is not a preemptive issue) and reductions of share capital, require that the votes cast in favor of the resolution (whether by show of hands or on a poll) are not less than three times the number of votes, if any, cast against the resolution. As provided in our Articles, a shareholder may exercise his voting rights by proxy to be given in the form prescribed by us. This proxy, however, is required to be lodged with us at least 48 hours before the time of the relevant meeting. A shareholder may, by a single power of attorney, grant general power of representation covering several general meetings. A corporate shareholder is also entitled to nominate a representative to attend and vote on its behalf at all general meetings. The Companies Act provides for the passing of resolutions in relation to certain matters specified by the Government of India, by means of a postal ballot. A listed company intending to pass a resolution relating to certain specified matters (such as alteration of its organizational documents, change in registered office issuing of shares with different voting or dividend rights and a buy-back of shares) is required to obtain the consent of shareholders by means of a postal ballot instead of by way of a resolution passed in a general meeting. A notice to all the shareholders must be sent along with a draft resolution explaining the reasons therefore and requesting the shareholders to send their assent or dissent in writing on a postal ballot within a period of 30 days from the date of dispatch of the notice. Shareholders may exercise their right to vote at general meetings, through postal ballot by sending their votes through the postal arrangements or through electronic means (e-voting), for which separate facilities are provided to the shareholders.

 

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ADS holders have no voting rights with respect to the deposited shares.

Annual Report

At least 21 days before an annual general meeting, we must circulate either a detailed or abridged version of our Indian GAAP audited financial accounts, together with the Directors’ Report and the Auditor’s Report, to the shareholders along with a notice convening the annual general meeting. We are also required under the Companies Act to make available upon the request of any shareholder our complete balance sheet and profit and loss account. The above-mentioned documents must also be made available for inspection at its registered office during working hours for a period of 21 days before the date of the annual general meeting. A statement containing the salient features of these documents in a prescribed manner (or copies of these documents) is required to be sent to every member of the company and to every debenture trustee at least 21 days before the date of the annual general meeting. Under the Companies Act, we must file with the Registrar of Companies our Indian GAAP balance sheet and profit and loss account within 30 days of the conclusion of the annual general meeting and our annual return within 60 days of the conclusion of that meeting.

Register of Shareholders, Record Dates and Transfer of Shares

The equity shares are in registered form. We maintain a register of our shareholders in Mumbai. We register transfers of equity shares on the register of shareholders upon presentation of certificates in respect of the transfer of equity shares held in physical form together with a transfer deed duly executed by the transferor and transferee. These transfer deeds are subject to stamp duty, which has been fixed at 0.25% of the transfer price.

For the purpose of determining equity shares entitled to annual dividends, the register of shareholders is closed for a period prior to the annual general meeting. The Companies Act and the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015 permit us, pursuant to a resolution of our Board of Directors and upon at least seven days’ advance notice to the stock exchanges, to set the record date and close the register of shareholders after seven days’ public notice for not more than 30 days at a time, and for not more than 45 days in a year, in order for us to determine which shareholders are entitled to certain rights pertaining to the equity shares. Trading of equity shares and delivery of certificates in respect of the equity shares may, however, continue after the register of shareholders is closed.

Transfer of Shares

Shares held through depositories are transferred in the form of book entries or in electronic form in accordance with the regulations laid down by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). These regulations provide the regime for the functioning of the depositories and the participants and set out the manner in which the records are to be kept and maintained and the safeguards to be followed in this system. Transfers of beneficial ownership of shares held through a depositary are exempt from stamp duty.

The SEBI requires that our equity shares for trading and settlement purposes be in book-entry form for all investors, except for transactions that are not made on a stock exchange and transactions that are not required to be reported to the stock exchange. Transfers of equity shares in book-entry form require both the seller and the purchaser of the equity shares to establish accounts with depositary participants appointed by depositories established under the Depositaries Act, 1996. Charges for opening an account with a depositary participant, transaction charges for each trade and custodian charges for securities held in each account vary depending upon the practice of each depositary participant. Upon delivery, the equity shares shall be registered in the name of the relevant depositary on our books and this depositary shall enter the name of the investor in its records as the beneficial owner. The transfer of beneficial ownership shall be done through the records of the depositary. The beneficial owner shall be entitled to all rights and benefits and subject to all liabilities in respect of his securities held by a depositary.

 

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The requirement to hold the equity shares in book-entry form will apply to the ADS holders when the equity shares are withdrawn from the depositary facility upon surrender of the ADSs. In order to trade the equity shares in the Indian market, the withdrawing ADS holder will be required to comply with the procedures described above.

Our equity shares are freely transferable, subject only to the provisions of the Companies Act under which, if a transfer of equity shares contravenes the provisions of Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act, 1956, the Securities and Exchange Board of India Act, 1992 or the regulations issued under it or any other law in force at the time, the National Company Law Tribunal may, on application made by us, a depositary incorporated in India, an investor, the SEBI or certain other parties, direct a rectification of the register of records. It is a condition of our listing that we transfer equity shares and deliver share certificates duly endorsed for the transfer within 15 days of the date of lodgment of transfer. If a company without sufficient cause refuses to register a transfer of equity shares within 30 days from the date on which the instrument of transfer is delivered to the company, the transferee may appeal to the National Company Law Tribunal seeking to register the transfer of equity shares. The National Company Law Tribunal may, in its discretion, issue an interim order suspending the voting rights attached to the relevant equity shares before completing its investigation of the alleged contravention. Our Articles provide for certain restrictions on the transfer of equity shares, including granting power to the Board of Directors in certain circumstances, to refuse to register or acknowledge transfer of equity shares or other securities issued by us. Furthermore, the RBI requires us to obtain its approval before registering a transfer of equity shares in favor of a person which together with equity shares already held by him represent more than 5.0% of our share capital.

Our transfer agent, Datamatics Financial Services Limited, is located in Mumbai. Certain foreign exchange control and security regulations apply to the transfer of equity shares by a non-resident or a foreigner.

Disclosure of Ownership Interest

The provisions of the Companies Act generally require beneficial owners of equity shares of Indian companies that are not holders of record to declare to the company details of the holder of record and holders of record to declare details of the beneficial owner. While it is unclear whether these provisions apply to holders of an Indian company’s ADSs, investors who exchange ADSs for equity shares are subject to this provision. Failure to comply with these provisions would not affect the obligation of a company to register a transfer of equity shares or to pay any dividends to the registered holder of any equity shares in respect of which this declaration has not been made, but any person who fails to make the required declaration may be liable for an initial fine of up to Rs. 50,000 coupled with a further fine of up to Rs. 1,000 for each day this failure continues. However, under the Banking Regulation Act, a registered holder of any equity shares, except in certain conditions, shall not be liable to any suit or proceeding on the ground that the title to those equity shares vests in another person.

Acquisition by the Issuer of Its Own Shares

The Companies Act permits a company to acquire its own equity shares and reduce its capital under certain circumstances. Such reduction of capital requires compliance with buy-back provisions specified in the Companies Act and by the SEBI.

ADS holders will be eligible to participate in a buy-back in certain cases. An ADS holder may acquire equity shares by withdrawing them from the depositary facility and then sell those equity shares back to us. ADS holders should note that equity shares withdrawn from the depositary facility may only be redeposited into the depositary facility under certain circumstances.

There can be no assurance that the equity shares offered by an ADS investor in any buy-back of shares by us will be accepted by us. The position regarding participation of ADS holders in a buy-back is not clear. ADS investors are advised to consult their Indian legal advisers prior to participating in any buy-back by us, including in relation to any regulatory approvals and tax issues relating to the buy-back.

 

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Liquidation Rights

Subject to the rights of depositors, creditors and employees, in the event of our winding up, the holders of the equity shares are entitled to be repaid the amounts of capital paid up or credited as paid up on these equity shares. All surplus assets remaining belong to the holders of the equity shares in proportion to the amount paid up or credited as paid up on these equity shares, respectively, at the commencement of the winding up.

Acquisition of the Undertaking by the Government

Under the Banking Regulation Act, the Government may, after consultation with the RBI, in the interest of our depositors or banking policy or better provision of credit generally or to a particular community or area, acquire our banking business. The RBI may acquire our business if it is satisfied that we have failed to comply with the directions given to us by the RBI or that our business is being managed in a manner detrimental to the interest of our depositors. Similarly, the Government of India may also acquire our business based on a report by the RBI.

Takeover Code

Under the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Substantial Acquisitions of Shares & Takeovers) Regulations, 2011, as amended (the “Takeover Code”), upon the acquisition of shares which taken together with the shares/voting rights already held aggregates 5% or more of the outstanding shares or voting rights of a publicly listed Indian company, a purchaser is required to notify the company and all the stock exchanges on which the shares of such company are listed. Such notification is also required when a person holds 5% or more of the outstanding shares or voting rights in a target company and there is a change in his holding either due to purchase or disposal of shares of 2% or more of the outstanding shares/voting rights in the target company or if such change results in shareholding falling below 5%, if there has been a change from the previous disclosure.

No acquisition of shares/voting rights by an acquirer in a target company which entitles the acquirer, together with persons acting in concert with them, to 25% or more of such shares or voting rights is permissible unless the acquirer makes a public announcement of an open offer for acquiring the shares of the target company in the manner provided in the Takeover Code. The public announcement of an open offer is also mandatory where an acquirer who, together with persons acting in concert with them, holds 25% of the shares/voting rights in the target company, but less than the maximum permissible non-public shareholding, seeks to acquire an additional 5% or more of the shares/voting rights in the target company during any fiscal year. However, the Takeover Code applies only to shares or securities convertible into shares which carry a voting right. This provision will apply to an ADS holder only once he or she converts the ADSs into the underlying equity shares.

In terms of the Takeover Code, the acquirer or holder of shares/voting rights in a target company shall in accordance with the “Continual Disclosure” requirements disclose to the target company and the stock exchanges the details of holdings of equity shares/voting rights if such holding of shares/voting rights is 25% or more of the outstanding shares/aggregate voting rights as at March 31 every year.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES

American Depositary Shares

JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as depositary, issued the American Depositary Shares, or ADSs. Each ADS represents an ownership interest in three equity shares, which we have deposited with the custodian, as agent of the depositary, under the deposit agreement among ourselves, the depositary and each ADR holder. In the future, each ADS will also represent any securities, cash or other property deposited with the depositary but which it has not distributed directly to an ADR holder. The ADSs are evidenced by what is known as American Depositary Receipts or ADRs. The shareholders of the Bank at the 17th Annual General Meeting held on July 6, 2011 approved the sub-division of one equity share of the Bank having a nominal value of Rs. 10.0 each into five equity shares with a nominal value of Rs. 2.0 each. As a result of the same, the Bank issued additional ADSs in a proportionate number, with each ADS representing three underlying equity shares of the Bank.

The depositary’s office is located at 4 New York Plaza, Floor 12, New York, NY 10004.

Investors may hold ADSs either directly or indirectly through their broker or other financial institution. If an investor holds ADSs directly, by having an ADR certificate evidencing a specific number of ADSs registered in his name on the books of the depositary, or by holding an ADS in the depositary’s direct registration system, he is an ADR holder. This description assumes that the investor holds his ADSs directly. If an investor holds the ADSs through his broker or financial institution nominee, he must rely on the procedures of such broker or financial institution to assert the rights of an ADR holder described in this section. Investors should consult with their broker or financial institution to find out what these procedures are.

Because the depositary’s nominee will actually be the registered owner of the shares, investors must rely on the depositary to exercise the rights of a shareholder on their behalf. The obligations of the depositary and its agents are set out in the deposit agreement. The deposit agreement and the ADSs are governed by New York law.

The following is a summary of the material terms of the deposit agreement. Because it is a summary, it does not contain all the information that may be important to investors. For more complete information, investors should read the entire deposit agreement and the form of ADR, which contains the terms of the ADSs. Investors can read a copy of the amended and restated deposit agreement, which was filed as an exhibit to the registration statement on Form F-6 on September 9, 2015. Investors may also obtain a copy of the amended and restated deposit agreement at the Securities and Exchange Commission Office, Public Reference Room, which is located at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. Investors may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330.

Share Dividends and Other Distributions

We may make various types of distributions with respect to our securities. The depositary has agreed to pay to the investor the cash dividends or other distributions it or the custodian receives on shares or other deposited securities, after deducting its charges and expenses. The investor will receive these distributions in proportion to the number of deposited securities that the investor’s ADSs represent. To the extent practicable, the depositary will deliver such distributions to ADR holders in proportion to their interests in the following manner:

Cash

The depositary will distribute any U.S. dollars available to it resulting from a cash dividend or other cash distribution if this is practicable and can be done in a reasonable manner. The depositary will distribute this cash in a practicable manner, and may deduct any taxes required to be withheld, any expenses of converting foreign currency and transferring funds to the United States and other expenses and adjustments. If exchange rates fluctuate during a time when the depositary cannot convert a foreign currency, investors may lose some or all of the value of the distribution.

Shares

In the case of a distribution in shares, the depositary will issue additional ADRs to evidence the number of ADSs representing such shares. Only whole ADSs will be issued. The depositary will sell any shares which would result in fractional ADSs and distribute the net proceeds to the ADR holders entitled to them.

 

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Rights to Receive Additional Shares

In the case of a distribution of rights to subscribe for additional shares or other rights, if we provide satisfactory evidence that the depositary may lawfully distribute the rights, the depositary may arrange for ADR holders to instruct the depositary as to the exercise of the rights. However, if we do not furnish such evidence, the depositary may:

 

    sell the rights, if practicable, and distribute the net proceeds as cash; or

 

    if it is not practicable to sell the rights, allow the rights to lapse, in which case ADR holders will receive nothing.

We have no obligation to file a registration statement under the Securities Act in order to make any rights available to ADR holders or furnish evidence that the depositary may lawfully make any rights available to ADR holders.

Other Distributions

In the case of a distribution of securities or property other than those described above, the depositary may either:

 

    distribute such securities or property in any manner it deems equitable and practicable; or

 

    to the extent the depositary deems distribution of such securities or property not to be equitable and practicable, sell such securities or property and distribute any net proceeds in the same way it distributes cash; or

Any U.S. dollars will be distributed by checks drawn on a bank in the United States for whole dollars and cents (fractional cents will be withheld without liability for interest and handled by the depositary in accordance with its then current practices).

The depositary may choose, after consultation with us, if practicable, any practical method of distribution for any specific ADR holder, including the distribution of foreign currency, securities or property, or it may retain those items, without paying interest on or investing them, on behalf of the ADR holder as deposited securities, in which case the ADSs will also represent the retained items.

The depositary is not responsible if it fails to determine that any distribution or action is lawful or reasonably practicable.

We cannot assure investors that the depositary will be able to convert any currency at a specified exchange rate or sell any property, rights, shares or other securities at a specified price, or that any of such transactions can be completed within a specified time period. All purchases and sales of securities will be handled by the depositary in accordance with its then current policies, which are currently set forth in the “Depositary Receipt Sale and Purchase of Security” section of https://www.adr.com/Investors/FindOutAboutDRs, the location and contents of which the depositary shall be solely responsible for.

Deposit, Withdrawal and Cancellation

The depositary issues ADSs upon the deposit of shares or evidence of rights to receive shares with the custodian after payment of the fees and expenses owing to the depositary in connection with such issuance.

Except for shares that we deposit, no shares may be deposited by persons located in India, residents of India or for, or on the account of, such persons. Under current Indian laws and regulations, the depositary cannot accept deposits of outstanding shares and issue ADRs evidencing ADSs representing such shares without prior approval of the Government of India. However, an investor who surrenders an ADS and withdraws shares may be permitted to redeposit those shares in the depositary facility in exchange for ADSs and the depositary may accept deposits of outstanding shares purchased by a non-resident of India on the local stock exchange and issue ADSs representing those shares. However, in each case, the number of shares re-deposited or deposited cannot exceed the number represented by ADSs converted into underlying shares.

 

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Shares deposited in the future with the custodian must be accompanied by certain documents, including instruments showing that such shares have been properly transferred or endorsed to the person on whose behalf the deposit is being made. To the extent delivery of certificates is impracticable, the shares may be deposited by any other delivery means reasonably acceptable to the depositary or custodian, including by way of crediting the shares to an account maintained by the custodian with us or an accredited intermediary acting as registrar for the shares.

We will inform the depositary if any of the shares permitted to be deposited do not rank pari passu with other deposited securities and the depositary will arrange for the issuance of temporary ADSs representing such shares until such time as the shares become fully fungible with the other deposited securities.

The custodian will hold all deposited shares for the account of the depositary. ADR holders thus have no direct ownership interest in the shares and only have such rights as are contained in the deposit agreement. The custodian will also hold any additional securities, property and cash received on or in substitution for the deposited shares. The deposited shares and any such additional items are referred to as “deposited securities”.

Upon each deposit of shares, receipt of related delivery documentation and compliance with the other provisions of the deposit agreement, including the payment of the fees and charges of the depositary and any taxes or other fees or charges owing, the depositary will issue an ADR or ADRs in the name of the person entitled thereto evidencing the number of ADSs to which such person is entitled. All ADSs issued will be evidenced by way of registration in the depositary’s direct registration system, unless certificated ADRs are specifically requested by the holder. Rather than receiving a certificate, registered holders will receive periodic statements from the depositary showing the number of ADSs to which they are entitled. Certificated ADRs will be delivered at the depositary’s designated transfer office.

When an investor turns in his ADR certificate at the depositary’s office, or provides proper instructions and documentation in the case of direct registration ADSs, the depositary will, upon payment of certain applicable fees, charges and taxes, deliver the underlying shares. Delivery of deposited securities in certificated form will be made at the custodian’s office or, at the investor’s risk and expense, the depositary may deliver such deposited securities at such other place as may be requested by the investor. A stamp duty will be payable by the relevant ADR holder in respect of any withdrawal of shares, unless the shares are held in dematerialized form. Any subsequent transfer by the holder of the shares after withdrawal will require the approval of the Reserve Bank of India, which approval must be obtained by the purchaser and us under the provisions of the Foreign Management Regulation Act, 1999 unless the transfer is on a stock exchange or in connection with an offer under the Indian takeover regulations.

The depositary may only restrict the withdrawal of deposited securities in connection with:

 

    temporary delays caused by closing the Bank’s transfer books or those of the depositary or the deposit of shares in connection with voting at a shareholders’ meeting, or the payment of dividends;

 

    the payment of fees, taxes and similar charges; or

 

    compliance with any U.S. or foreign laws or governmental regulations relating to the ADRs or to the withdrawal of deposited securities.

This right of withdrawal may not be limited by any other provision of the deposit agreement.

Voting Rights

Investors who hold ADRs have no voting rights with respect to the deposited equity shares. The depositary will abstain from exercising the voting rights of the deposited equity shares. The RBI examined the matter relating to the exercise of voting rights by the depositary and issued a circular dated February 5, 2007 pursuant to which the Bank furnished to the RBI a copy of its agreement with the depositary. We have given an undertaking to the RBI stating that we will not recognize voting by the depositary if the vote given by the depositary is in contravention of its agreement with us and that we or the depositary will not bring about any change in our depositary agreement without the prior approval of the RBI.

 

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Equity shares which have been withdrawn from the depositary facility and transferred on our register of shareholders to a person other than the depositary or its nominee may be voted by that person. However, such shareholders may not receive sufficient advance notice of shareholder meetings to enable them to withdraw the underlying shares and vote at such meetings.

Record Dates

The depositary may, after consultation with us, if practicable, fix record dates for the determination of the ADR holders, who will be entitled or obligated (as the case may be) to receive any distribution on or in respect of deposited securities, or to pay the fee assessed by the depositary for administration of the ADR program and any expenses provided for in the ADR, subject to the provisions of the deposit agreement.

Reports and Other Communications

The depositary will make available for inspection by ADR holders at the offices of the depositary and at the transfer office any written communications from us which are both received by the custodian or its nominee as a holder of deposited securities and made generally available to the holders of deposited securities. The depositary will distribute copies of such communications, or English translations or summaries thereof, to ADR holders when furnished by us.

Fees and Charges for Holders of American Depositary Shares

The depositary collects the following fees from holders of ADRs or intermediaries acting on their behalf:

 

Category

  

Depositary actions

  

Associated fee

(a)

  Issuing ADSs    Issuing ADSs upon deposits of shares, issuances in respect of share distributions, rights and other distributions, stock dividends, stock splits, mergers, exchanges of securities or any other transaction or event or other distribution affecting the ADSs or the deposited securities.    US$5.00 for each 100 ADSs (or portion thereof) issued or delivered.

(b)

  Distributing dividends    Distribution of cash.    US$0.02 or less per ADS.

(c)

  Distributing or selling securities    Distribution to ADR holders of securities received by the depositary or net proceeds from the sale of such securities.    US$5.00 for each 100 ADSs (or portion thereof), the fee being in an amount equal to the fee for the execution and delivery of ADSs which would have been charged as a result of the deposit of such securities.

(d)

  Cancellation or reduction of ADSs    Acceptance of ADSs surrendered for withdrawal of deposited shares, or the cancellation or reduction of ADSs for any other reason.    US$5.00 for each 100 ADSs (or portion thereof) reduced, canceled or surrendered (as the case may be).

(e)

  Transferring, splitting or combining ADRs    Transfer, split or combinination of depositary receipts.    US$1.50 per ADR.

(f)

  General depositary services    Services performed by the depositary in administering the ADRs.    US$0.01 per ADS per calendar year (or portion thereof).

 

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(g)   Other    Fees, charges and expenses incurred on behalf of holders in connection with:    The amount of such fees, charges and expenses incurred by the depositary and/or any of its agents.
        compliance with foreign exchange control regulations or any law or regulation relating to foreign investment;   
        the servicing of shares or other deposited securities;   
        the sale of securities;   
        the delivery of deposited securities;   
        the depositary’s or its custodian’s compliance with applicable law, rule or regulation;   
        stock transfer or other taxes and other governmental charges;   
        cable, telex and facsimile transmission and delivery charges;   
        transfer or registration fees for the registration or transfer of deposited securities on any applicable register in connection with the deposit or withdrawal of deposited securities;   
        the conversion of foreign currency into U.S. dollars (which are deducted by the depositary out of such foreign currency); or   
        the fees of any division, branch or affiliate of the depositary utilized by the depositary to direct, manage and/or execute any public or private sale of securities under the deposit agreement.   

As provided in the deposit agreement, the depositary may collect its fees for making cash and other distributions to holders by deducting fees from distributable amounts or by selling a portion of the distributable property. The depositary may generally refuse to provide services until its fees for those services are paid.

Fees Paid by the Depositary to us

Direct and Indirect Payments

The depositary has agreed to contribute certain reasonable direct and indirect expenses related to our ADS program incurred by us in connection with the program. Under certain circumstances, we may be required to repay to the depositary amounts contributed in prior periods.

The table below sets forth the contribution received by us from the depositary towards our direct and indirect expenses during fiscal 2016.

 

Category                

   Contribution
received
 

Legal, accounting fees and other expenses incurred in connection with our ADS program

   US$  8,186,547.73   

 

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Payment of Taxes

ADR holders must pay any tax or other governmental charge payable by the custodian or the depositary on any ADS or ADR, deposited security or distribution, and by holding or having held an ADR, the holder and all prior holders, jointly and severally, agree to indemnify, defend and save harmless the depositary and its agents. If an ADR holder owes any tax or other governmental charge, the depositary may:

 

    deduct the amount thereof from any cash distributions; or

 

    sell deposited securities and deduct the amount owing from the net proceeds of such sale.

In either case the ADR holder remains liable for any shortfall. Additionally, if any tax or governmental charge is unpaid, the depositary may also refuse to effect any registration, registration of transfer, split-up or combination of deposited securities or withdrawal of deposited securities (except under limited circumstances mandated by securities regulations). If any tax or governmental charge is required to be withheld on any non-cash distribution, the depositary may sell the distributed property or securities to pay such taxes and distribute any remaining net proceeds to the ADR holders entitled to them.

Reclassifications, Recapitalizations and Mergers

If we take certain actions that affect the deposited securities, including (1) any change in par value, split-up, consolidation, cancellation or other reclassification of deposited securities or (2) any recapitalization, reorganization, merger, consolidation, liquidation, receivership, bankruptcy or sale of all or substantially all of our assets, then the depositary may choose to:

 

    amend the form of ADR;

 

    distribute additional or amended ADRs;

 

    distribute cash, securities or other property it has received in connection with such actions;

 

    sell any securities or property received and distribute the proceeds as cash; or

 

    take no action.

If the depositary does not choose any of the above options, any of the cash, securities or other property it receives will constitute part of the deposited securities and each ADS will then represent a proportionate interest in such property.

Amendment and Termination

We may agree with the depositary to amend the deposit agreement and the ADSs without the consent of ADR holders for any reason. ADR holders must be given at least 30 days notice of any amendment that imposes or increases any fees or charges (other than stock transfer or other taxes and other governmental charges, transfer or registration fees, cable, telex or facsimile transmission costs, delivery costs or other such expenses), or prejudices any substantial existing right of ADR holders. If an ADR holder continues to hold an ADR or ADRs after being notified of these changes, the ADR holder is deemed to agree to, and be bound by, such amendment. Notwithstanding the foregoing, an amendment can become effective before notice is given if this is necessary to ensure compliance with a new law, rule or regulation.

No amendment will impair an ADR holder’s right to surrender its ADSs and receive the underlying securities, except in order to comply with mandatory provisions of applicable law. If a governmental or regulatory body adopts new laws, rules or regulations which require the deposit agreement or the ADS to be amended, the Bank and the depositary may make the necessary amendments, which could take effect before an ADR holder receives notice thereof.

The depositary may terminate the deposit agreement by giving the ADR holders at least 30 days’ prior notice and it must do so at our request. After termination, the depositary’s only responsibility will be (i) to deliver deposited securities to ADR holders who surrender their ADRs, and (ii) to hold or sell distributions received on deposited securities. As soon as practicable after the expiration of six months from the termination date, the depositary will sell the remaining deposited securities and hold the net proceeds of such sales, together with any other cash then held by it under the deposit agreement, in trust for the ADR holders who have not yet surrendered their ADRs. After making those sales, the depositary shall have no obligations except to account for such proceeds and other cash. The depositary will not be required to invest such proceeds or pay interest on them.

 

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Limitations on Obligations and Liability to ADR Holders

The deposit agreement expressly limits the obligations and liability of the depositary, ourselves and our respective agents. Neither we nor the depositary nor any such agent will be liable if:

 

    any present or future law, rule, regulation, fiat, order or decree of the United States, the Republic of India or any other country, or of any governmental or regulatory authority or securities exchange or market or automated quotation system, the provisions of or regulation governing any deposited securities, any present or future provision of our charter, any act of God, war, terrorism, nationalization or other circumstance beyond its control shall prevent or delay, or shall cause it to be subject to any civil or criminal penalty in connection with any act which the deposit agreement or the ADRs provide shall be done or performed by it;

 

    it exercises or fails to exercise discretion under the deposit agreement or the ADR;

 

    it takes any action or inaction in reliance upon the advice of or information from legal counsel, accountants, any person presenting shares for deposit, any registered holder of ADRs, or any other person believed by it to be competent to give such advice or information;

 

    it performs its obligations under the deposit agreement without gross negligence or willful misconduct; or

 

    it relies upon any written notice, request, direction, instruction or document believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed, presented or given by the proper party or parties.

Neither the depositary nor its agents have any obligation to appear in, prosecute or defend any action, suit or other proceeding in respect of any deposited securities or the ADRs. We and our agents shall only be obligated to appear in, prosecute or defend any action, suit or other proceeding in respect of any deposited securities or the ADRs, which in our opinion may involve us in expense or liability, if indemnity satisfactory to us against all expense (including fees and disbursements of counsel) and liability is furnished as often as we require.

The depositary will not be liable for the price received in connection with any sale of securities or any delay or omission to act nor will the depositary be responsible for any error or delay in action, omission to act, default or negligence on the part of the party retained in connection with any sale or proposed sale of securities.

The depositary may own and deal in any class of securities and in ADRs.

Disclosure of Interest in ADSs

From time to time we may request ADR holders and beneficial owners of ADSs to provide information as to:

 

    the capacity in which they own or owned ADSs;

 

    the identity of any other persons then or previously interested in such ADSs; and

 

    the nature of such interest and various other matters.

Investors in ADSs agree to provide any information requested by us or the depositary pursuant to the deposit agreement. The depositary has agreed to use reasonable efforts, without risk, liability or expense on the part of the depositary, to comply with written instructions received from us requesting that it forward any such requests to investors in ADSs and other holders and beneficial owners and to forward to us any responses to such requests to the extent permitted by applicable law.

We may restrict transfers of the shares where any such transfer might result in ownership of shares in contravention of, or exceeding the limits under, applicable law or our organizational documents. We may also instruct ADR holders that we are restricting the transfers of ADSs where such a transfer may result in the total number of shares represented by the ADSs beneficially owned by ADR holders contravening or exceeding the limits under the applicable law or our organizational documents. We reserve the right to instruct ADR holders to deliver their ADSs for cancellation and withdrawal of the shares underlying such ADSs and holders agree to comply with such instructions.

Requirements for Depositary Actions

We, the depositary or the custodian may refuse to:

 

    issue, register or transfer an ADR or ADRs;

 

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    effect a split-up or combination of ADRs;

 

    deliver distributions on any such ADRs; or

 

    permit the withdrawal of deposited securities (unless the deposit agreement provides otherwise), until the following conditions have been met:

 

    the holder has paid all taxes, governmental charges and fees and expenses as required in the deposit agreement;

 

    the holder has provided the depositary with any information it may deem necessary or proper, including, without limitation, proof of identity and the genuineness of any signature, and information as to citizenship, residence, exchange control approval, beneficial ownership of any securities, compliance with applicable law, regulations, provisions of or governing deposited securities and terms of the deposit agreement and the ADRs; and

 

    the holder has complied with such regulations as the depositary may establish consistent with the deposit agreement.

The depositary may also suspend the issuance of ADSs, the deposit of shares, the registration, transfer, split-up or combination of ADRs, or the withdrawal of deposited securities (unless the deposit agreement provides otherwise), if the register for ADRs or any deposited securities is closed or if any such action is deemed advisable by the depositary.

Books of Depositary

The depositary or its agent will maintain a register for the registration, registration of transfer, combination and split-up of ADRs, which, in the case of registered ADRs, shall include the depositary’s direct registration system. ADR holders may inspect the depositary’s designated records at all reasonable times. Such register may be closed at any time from time to time, when deemed expedient by the depositary.

The depositary will maintain facilities for the delivery and receipt of ADRs.

Pre-release of ADSs

The depositary may issue ADSs prior to the receipt of shares and deliver shares prior to the receipt of ADSs for the withdrawal of deposited securities. Each such transaction is called a pre-release of the ADSs. A pre-release is closed out as soon as the underlying shares (or other ADSs) are delivered to the depositary. The depositary may pre-release ADSs only if:

 

    the person or entity to whom ADSs or shares will be delivered:

 

    represents that, at the time of the pre-release, the applicant or its customer owns the shares or ADSs to be delivered;

 

    agrees to indicate the depositary as owner of such shares or ADSs in its records and to hold such shares or ADSs in trust for the depositary until they have been delivered to the depositary or custodian;

 

    unconditionally guarantees to deliver the shares or ADSs to the depositary or custodian, as applicable; and

 

    agrees to any additional restrictions or requirements that the depositary deems appropriate; and

 

    the depositary has received collateral for the full market value of the pre-released ADSs or shares.

In general, the number of pre-released ADSs and shares is limited to 30% of all ADSs outstanding at any given time (without giving effect to those ADSs issued prior to the receipt of shares). However, the depositary may change or disregard such limit from time to time as it deems appropriate. The depositary may also set limits with respect to the number of ADSs and shares involved in pre-release transactions with any one person on a case-by-case basis as it deems appropriate. The depositary may retain for its own account any compensation received by it in conjunction with pre-release transactions, including earnings on collateral but excluding the collateral itself.

The Depositary

The depositary is JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., a commercial bank offering a wide range of banking services to its customers both domestically and internationally. JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association is a wholly-owned bank subsidiary of JPMorgan Chase & Co., a Delaware corporation.

 

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DIVIDEND POLICY

We have paid dividends every year since fiscal 1997. The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, the dividend per equity share and the total amount of dividends declared on the equity shares, both exclusive of dividend tax. All dividends were paid in rupees.

 

     Dividend per equity share      Total amount of dividends declared  
                   (in millions)  

Relating to Fiscal Year

           

2012

   Rs. 4.30       US$ 0.065       Rs. 10,090.8       US$ 152.3   

2013

     5.50         0.083         13,090.8         197.6   

2014

     6.85         0.103         16,433.5         248.1   

2015

     8.00         0.121         20,052.0         302.7   

2016

     9.50         0.143         24,017.8         362.5   

By a special resolution on July 6, 2011, the shareholders of the Bank approved a stock split resulting in a reduction in the par value of each equity share from Rs.10.0 to Rs. 2.0 per equity share effective as of July 16, 2011. All share/ADS and per share/ADS data have been retroactively restated to reflect the effect of stock split. One ADS will continue to represent three equity shares.

Our dividends are generally declared and paid in the fiscal year following the year to which they relate. Under Indian law, a company pays dividends upon a recommendation by its board of directors and approval by a majority of the shareholders at the annual general meeting of shareholders held within six months of the end of each fiscal year. The shareholders have the right to decrease but not to increase the dividend amount recommended by the Board of Directors.

We pay a 17.64% direct tax in respect of dividends paid by us. In addition, we pay a 12.0% surcharge on 17.64% direct tax and an add-on education cess at the rate of 3.0% of the total dividend distribution tax and surcharge. These are direct taxes paid by us; these taxes are not payable by shareholders and are not withheld or deducted from the dividend payments set forth above. The tax rates imposed on us in respect of dividends paid in prior periods varied.

Future dividends will depend on our revenues, cash flows, financial condition (including capital position) and other factors. ADS holders will be entitled to receive dividends payable in respect of the equity shares represented by ADSs. Cash dividends in respect of the equity shares represented by ADSs will be paid to the depositary in Indian rupees and, except in certain instances, will be converted by the depositary into U.S. dollars. The depositary will distribute these proceeds to ADS holders. The equity shares represented by ADSs will rank equally with all other equity shares in respect of dividends.

For a description of regulation of dividends, see “Supervision and Regulation—Special Provisions of the Banking Regulation Act—Restrictions on Payment of Dividends”.

 

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SELECTED FINANCIAL AND OTHER DATA

The following tables set forth our selected financial and other data. Our selected income statement data for the fiscal years ended March 31, 2014, 2015 and 2016 and the selected balance sheet data as of March 31, 2015 and 2016 are derived from our audited financial statements included in this report. Our selected balance sheet data as of March 31, 2012, March 31, 2013, March 31, 2014 and selected income statement data for the fiscal years ended March 31, 2012 and March 31, 2013 are derived from our audited financial statements not included in this report.

For the convenience of the reader, the selected financial data as of and for the year ended March 31, 2016 have been translated into U.S. dollars at the rate on such date of Rs. 66.25 per US$1.00. The U.S. dollar equivalent information should not be construed to imply that the real amounts represent, or could have been or could be converted into, U.S. dollars at such rates or at any other rate.

You should read the following data with the more detailed information contained in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and our financial statements. Footnotes to the following data appear below the final table.

 

     Year ended March 31,  
     2012      2013      2014      2015      2016      2016  
     (in millions, except per equity share data and ADS data)  

Selected income statement data:

                 

Interest and dividend revenue

   Rs. 277,540.0       Rs. 353,878.5       Rs. 422,211.3       Rs. 500,787.2       Rs. 625,428.6       US$ 9,440.4   

Interest expense

     151,148.0         196,802.0         229,639.2         264,610.9         333,067.1         5,027.4   

Net interest revenue

     126,392.0         157,076.5         192,572.1         236,176.3         292,361.5         4,413.0   

Provisions for credit losses

     7,837.3         12,688.0         17,428.1         17,000.2         21,531.3         325.0   

Net interest revenue after provisions for credit losses

     118,554.7         144,388.5         175,144.0         219,176.1         270,830.2         4,088.0   

Non-interest revenue, net

     52,595.5         65,177.4         70,834.5         79,821.5         96,833.9         1,461.6   

Net revenue

     171,150.2         209,565.9         245,978.5         298,997.6         367,664.1         5,549.6   

Non-interest expense

     97,313.5         117,591.1         124,228.1         144,973.0         182,077.3         2,748.3   

Income before income tax expense

     73,836.7         91,974.8         121,750.4         154,024.6         185,586.8         2,801.3   

Income tax expense

     23,828.7         29,840.1         42,304.2         54,519.9         67,536.9         1,019.4   

Net income before noncontrolling interest

     50,008.0         62,134.7         79,446.2         99,504.7         118,049.9         1,781.9   

Less: Net income attributable to shareholders of noncontrolling interest

     224.6         315.3         126.5         267.0         134.6         2.0   

Net income attributable to HDFC Bank Limited

   Rs. 49,783.4       Rs. 61,819.4       Rs. 79,319.7       Rs. 99,237.7       Rs. 117,915.3       US$ 1,779.9   

Per equity share data:

                 

Earnings per equity share, basic

   Rs. 21.30       Rs. 26.18       Rs. 33.18       Rs. 40.94       Rs. 46.84       US$ 0.71   

Earnings per equity share, diluted

     21.12         25.91         32.94         40.55         46.33         0.70   

Dividends per share

     4.30         5.50         6.85         8.00         9.50         0.14   

Book value(1)

     168.34         196.89         221.71         299.32         343.85         5.19   

Equity share data:

                 

Equity shares outstanding at end of period

     2,346.7         2,379.4         2,399.1         2,506.5         2,528.2         2,528.2   

Weighted average equity shares outstanding—basic

     2,336.7         2,361.0         2,390.3         2,423.8         2,517.4         2,517.4   

Weighted average equity shares outstanding—diluted

     2,357.3         2,386.1         2,408.1         2,447.3         2,545.4         2,545.4   

ADS data (where one ADS represents three shares):

                 

Earnings per ADS—basic

     63.90         78.54         99.54         122.82         140.52         2.13   

Earnings per ADS—diluted

     63.36         77.73         98.82         121.65         138.99         2.10   

 

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    As of March 31,  
    2012     2013     2014     2015     2016     2016  
    (in millions)  

Selected balance sheet data:

           

Cash and cash equivalents

  Rs. 188,043.0      Rs. 218,740.2      Rs. 370,835.2      Rs. 341,124.3      Rs. 377,671.7      US$ 5,700.7   

Term placements(2)

    150,096.5        199,265.7        176,481.7        169,989.5        148,899.8        2,247.5   

Loans, net of allowance

    2,006,374.3        2,504,551.6        3,185,648.1        3,896,115.0        4,935,474.3        74,497.7   

Investments:

           

Investments held for trading

    77,043.4        87,383.5        65,077.9        61,292.8        71,860.9        1,084.7   

Investments available for sale

    807,080.4        1,018,071.5        908,824.3        1,504,412.8        1,878,684.4        28,357.5   

Total

    884,123.8        1,105,455.0        973,902.2        1,565,705.6        1,950,545.3        29,442.2   

Total assets

  Rs. 3,571,155.7      Rs. 4,370,906.1      Rs. 5,125,407.3      Rs. 6,259,015.8      Rs. 7,736,723.3      US$ 116,780.7   

Long-term debt

    178,366.6        295,219.7        395,208.6        457,934.4        522,313.5        7,884.0   

Short-term borrowings

    112,642.8        145,617.2        150,775.5        214,191.9        253,562.4        3,827.4   

Total deposits

    2,465,049.6        2,960,533.9        3,670,000.1        4,501,710.8        5,457,860.3        82,382.8   

Of which:

           

Interest-bearing deposits

    2,012,057.9        2,438,262.0        3,057,154.5        3,768,678.8        4,575,414.5        69,062.9   

Non-interest bearing deposits

    452,991.7        522,271.9        612,845.6        733,032.0        882,445.8        13,319.9   

Total liabilities

    3,174,563.0        3,900,528.2        4,592,406.6        5,507,448.2        6,865,928.1        103,636.6   

Noncontrolling interest

    1,537.5        1,903.6        1,094.0        1,315.5        1,485.0        22.4   

HDFC Bank Limited shareholders’ equity

    395,055.2        468,474.3        531,906.7        750,252.1        869,310.2        13,121.7   

Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity

  Rs. 3,571,155.7      Rs. 4,370,906.1      Rs. 5,125,407.3      Rs. 6,259,015.8      Rs. 7,736,723.3      US$ 116,780.7   
    Year ended March 31,  
    2012     2013     2014     2015     2016     2016  
    (in millions)  

Period average(3)

           

Interest-earning assets

  Rs. 2,746,339.2      Rs. 3,403,617.4      Rs. 4,110,169.4      Rs. 4,878,731.8      Rs. 6,334,288.6      US$ 95,611.9   

Loans, net of allowance

    1,854,364.2        2,328,320.6        2,839,477.7        3,408,315.6        4,278,152.9        64,575.9   

Total assets

    3,097,162.6        3,774,632.3        4,505,119.5        5,289,353.5        6,776,037.8        102,279.8   

Interest-bearing deposits

    1,825,018.8        2,245,452.4        2,737,895.6        3,365,392.5        4,301,515.1        64,928.5   

Non-interest bearing deposits

    390,682.9        414,590.2        448,165.2        519,675.4        620,340.4        9,363.6   

Total deposits

    2,215,701.7        2,660,042.6        3,186,060.8        3,885,067.9        4,921,855.5        74,292.2   

Interest-bearing liabilities

    2,168,714.2        2,721,847.0        3,362,570.1        3,944,982.9        5,130,083.6        77,435.2   

Long-term debt

    148,201.6        234,489.1        296,782.8        449,057.2        485,713.4        7,331.5   

Short-term borrowings

    195,493.8        241,905.5        327,891.7        130,533.2        342,855.1        5,175.2   

Total liabilities

    2,722,648.3        3,338,592.5        3,997,363.1        4,673,939.3        5,955,268.7        89,890.8   

Total shareholders’ equity

    374,514.3        436,039.8        507,756.4        615,414.2        820,769.1        12,389.0   

 

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     As of or for the year ended March 31,  
     2012      2013      2014      2015      2016  
     (in percentage)  

Profitability:

              

Net income attributable to HDFC Bank Limited as a percentage of:

              

Average total assets

     1.6         1.6         1.8         1.9         1.7   

Average total shareholders’ equity

     13.3         14.2         15.6         16.1         14.4   

Dividend payout ratio(4)

     20.3         21.2         20.7         20.2         20.4   

Spread(5)

     4.2         4.1         4.2         4.3         4.1   

Net interest margin(6)

     4.6         4.6         4.7         4.8         4.6   

Cost-to-net revenue ratio(7)

     56.9         56.1         50.5         48.5         49.5   

Cost-to-average assets ratio(8)

     3.1         3.1         2.8         2.7         2.7   

Capital:

              

Total capital adequacy ratio(9)

     16.52         16.80         16.07         16.79         15.53   

Tier 1 capital adequacy ratio(9)

     11.60         11.08         11.77         13.66         13.22   

Tier 2 capital adequacy ratio(9)

     4.92         5.72         4.30         3.13         2.31   

Average total shareholders’ equity as a percentage of average total assets

     12.1         11.6         11.3         11.6         12.1   

Asset quality:

              

Gross non-performing customer assets as a percentage of gross customer assets(10)

     0.9         0.8         1.2         1.0         1.0   

Net non-performing customer assets as a percentage of net customer assets(10)

     0.2         0.2         0.6         0.4         0.4   

Total allowance for credit losses as a percentage of gross non-performing credit assets

     146.6         159.4         143.5         120.4         108.3   

 

(1) Represents the difference between total assets and total liabilities, reduced by noncontrolling interests in subsidiaries, divided by the number of shares outstanding at the end of each reporting period.
(2) Includes placements with banks and financial institutions with original maturities of greater than three months.
(3) Average balances are the average of daily outstanding amounts.
(4) Represents the ratio of total dividends payable on equity shares relating to each fiscal year, excluding the dividend distribution tax, as a percentage of net income of that year. Dividends declared each year are typically paid in the following fiscal year. See “Dividend Policy.”
(5) Represents the difference between yield on average interest-earning assets and cost of average interest-bearing liabilities. Yield on average interest-earning assets is the ratio of interest revenue to average interest-earning assets. Cost of average interest-bearing liabilities is the ratio of interest expense to average interest-bearing liabilities. For purposes of calculating spread, interest-bearing liabilities includes non-interest bearing current accounts.
(6) Represents the ratio of net interest revenue to average interest-earning assets. The difference in net interest margin and spread arises due to the difference in the amount of average interest-earning assets and average interest-bearing liabilities. If average interest-earning assets exceed average interest-bearing liabilities, the net interest margin is greater than the spread. If average interest-bearing liabilities exceed average interest-earning assets, the net interest margin is less than the spread.
(7) Represents the ratio of non-interest expense to the sum of net interest revenue after provision for credit losses and non-interest revenue.
(8) Represents the ratio of non-interest expense to average total assets.
(9) Total, Tier I and Tier II capital adequacy ratios for fiscals 2012 and 2013 have been calculated in accordance with RBI guidelines (New Capital Adequacy Framework, generally referred to as Basel II) and capital adequacy ratios for fiscals 2014, 2015 and 2016 have been calculated in accordance with RBI guidelines (Basel III Capital Regulations, generally referred to as Basel III) and therefore are not directly comparable. See also “Supervision and Regulation”.
(10) Customer assets consist of loans and credit substitutes.

 

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SELECTED STATISTICAL INFORMATION

The following information should be read together with our financial statements included in this report as well as “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations”. Certain amounts presented in this section are in accordance with U.S. GAAP and certain figures are presented according to RBI guidelines where noted. Footnotes appear at the end of each related section of tables.

Average Balance Sheet

The table below presents the average balances for our assets and liabilities together with the related interest revenue and expense amounts, resulting in the presentation of the average yields and cost for each period. The average balance is the daily average of balances outstanding. The average yield on average interest-earning assets is the ratio of interest revenue to average interest-earning assets. The average cost of average interest-bearing liabilities is the ratio of interest expense to average interest-bearing liabilities. The average balances of loans include non-performing loans and are net of allowance for credit losses.

 

     Year ended March 31,  
     2014     2015     2016  
     Average
balance
     Interest
revenue/
expense
     Average
yield/
cost
    Average
balance
     Interest
revenue/
expense
     Average
yield/
cost
    Average
balance
     Interest
revenue/
expense
     Average
yield/
cost
 
     (in millions, except percentages)  

Assets:

                        

Interest-earning assets:

                        

Cash equivalents(1)

   Rs. 48,915.8       Rs. 1,699.8         3.5   Rs. 85,560.4       Rs. 3,217.0         3.8   Rs. 77,428.7       Rs. 3,339.8         4.3

Term placements

     179,718.7         10,375.7         5.8        165,848.3         10,053.0         6.1        157,896.4         9,548.0         6.0   

Investments available for sale

     975,076.8         77,497.1         7.9        1,135,060.9         94,129.1         8.3        1,718,127.8         136,062.4         7.9   

Investments held for trading

     66,980.4         5,883.4         8.8        83,946.6         5,123.4         6.1        102,682.8         5,659.9         5.5   

Loans, net:

                        

Retail loans

     1,884,500.8         233,307.2         12.4        2,344,964.3         282,799.0         12.1        3,023,627.7         354,229.3         11.7   

Wholesale loans

     954,976.9         93,448.1         9.8        1,063,351.3         105,465.7         9.9        1,254,525.2         116,589.2         9.3   

Total interest-earning assets:

   Rs. 4,110,169.4       Rs. 422,211.3         10.3   Rs. 4,878,731.8       Rs. 500,787.2         10.3   Rs. 6,334,288.6       Rs. 625,428.6         9.9

Non-interest-earning assets:

                        

Cash

     178,960.0              199,948.0              247,757.0         

Property and equipment

     30,529.7              31,481.4              34,786.6         

Other assets

     185,460.4              179,192.3              159,205.6         

Total non-interest earning assets

     394,950.1              410,621.7              441,749.2         

Total assets

   Rs. 4,505,119.5       Rs. 422,211.3         9.4   Rs. 5,289,353.5       Rs. 500,787.2         9.5   Rs. 6,776,037.8       Rs. 625,428.6         9.2

Liabilities:

                        

Interest-bearing liabilities:

                        

Savings account deposits

   Rs. 893,648.0       Rs. 35,653.9         4.0   Rs. 1,054,374.0       Rs. 42,031.0         4.0   Rs. 1,258,166.0       Rs. 50,336.0         4.0

Time deposits

     1,844,247.6         151,920.8         8.2        2,311,018.5         185,290.9         8.0        3,043,349.1         233,428.7         7.7   

Short-term borrowings(2)

     327,891.7         18,087.9         5.5        130,533.2         7,341.0         5.6        342,855.1         16,491.4         4.8   

Long-term debt

     296,782.8         23,976.6         8.1        449,057.2         29,948.0         6.7        485,713.4         32,811.0         6.8   

Total interest-bearing liabilities

   Rs. 3,362,570.1       Rs. 229,639.2         6.8   Rs. 3,944,982.9       Rs. 264,610.9         6.7   Rs. 5,130,083.6       Rs. 333,067.1         6.5

Non-interest-bearing liabilities:

                        

Non-interest-bearing deposits

     448,165.2              519,675.4              620,340.4         

Other liabilities

     186,627.8              209,281.0              204,844.7         

Total non-interest-bearing liabilities

     634,793.0              728,956.4              825,185.1         

Total liabilities

   Rs. 3,997,363.1       Rs. 229,639.2         5.7   Rs. 4,673,939.3       Rs. 264,610.9         5.7   Rs. 5,955,268.7       Rs. 333,067.1         5.6

Total shareholders’ equity

     507,756.4              615,414.2              820,769.1         

Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity

   Rs. 4,505,119.5       Rs. 229,639.2         5.1   Rs. 5,289,353.5       Rs. 264,610.9         5.0   Rs. 6,776,037.8       Rs. 333,067.1         4.9

 

(1) Includes securities purchased under agreements to resell.
(2) Includes securities sold under repurchase agreements.

 

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Analysis of Changes in Interest Revenue and Interest Expense

The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, the allocation of the changes in our interest revenue and interest expense between average balance and average rate.

 

     Fiscal 2015 vs. Fiscal 2014
Increase (decrease) (1) due to
    Fiscal 2016 vs. Fiscal 2015
Increase (decrease) (1) due to
 
     Net change     Change in
Average balance
    Change in
average rate
    Net change     Change in
Average balance
    Change in
average rate
 
                 (in millions)              

Interest revenue:

            

Cash equivalents

   Rs. 1,517.2      Rs. 1,273.4      Rs. 243.8      Rs. 122.8      Rs. (305.7   Rs. 428.5   

Term placements

     (322.7     (800.8     478.1        (505.0     (482.0     (23.0

Investments available for sale

     16,632.0        12,700.0        3,932.0        41,933.3        47,967.1        (6,033.8

Investments held for trading

     (760.0     1,490.3        (2,250.3     536.5        1,143.5        (607.0

Loans, net:

            

Retail loans

     49,491.8        57,006.8        (7,515.0     71,430.3        81,845.7        (10,415.4

Wholesale loans

     12,017.6        10,604.8        1,412.8        11,123.5        18,961.1        (7,837.6

Total interest-earning assets

   Rs. 78,575.9      Rs. 82,274.5      Rs. (3,698.6   Rs. 124,641.4      Rs. 149,129.7      Rs. (24,488.3

Interest expense:

            

Savings account deposits

   Rs. 6,377.1      Rs. 6,377.1      Rs. —       Rs. 8,305.0      Rs. 8,305.0      Rs. —     

Time deposits

     33,370.1        38,450.5        (5,080.4     48,137.8        58,716.2        (10,578.4

Short-term borrowings

     (10,746.9     (10,887.1     140.2        9,150.4        11,940.7        (2,790.3

Long-term debt

     5,971.4        12,302.0        (6,330.6     2,863.0        2,444.6        418.4   

Total interest-bearing liabilities

   Rs. 34,971.7      Rs. 46,242.5      Rs. (11,270.8   Rs. 68,456.2      Rs. 81,406.5      Rs. (12,950.3

Net interest revenue

   Rs. 43,604.2      Rs. 36,032.0      Rs. 7,572.2      Rs. 56,185.2      Rs. 67,723.2      Rs. (11,538.0

 

(1) The changes in net interest revenue between periods have been reflected as attributed either to average balance or average rate changes. For purposes of this table, changes which are due to both average balance and average rate have been allocated solely to changes in average rate.

 

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Yields, Spreads and Margins

The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, the yields, spreads and interest margins on our interest-earning assets.

 

     Year ended March 31,  
     2014     2015     2016  
     (in millions, except percentages)  

Interest revenue

   Rs. 422,211.3      Rs. 500,787.2      Rs. 625,428.6   

Average interest-earning assets

     4,110,169.4        4,878,731.8        6,334,288.6   

Interest expense

     229,639.2        264,610.9        333,067.1   

Average interest-bearing liabilities

     3,362,570.1        3,944,982.9        5,130,083.6   

Average total assets

     4,505,119.5        5,289,353.5        6,776,037.8   

Average interest-earning assets as a percentage of average total assets

     91.2     92.2     93.5

Average interest-bearing liabilities as a percentage of average total assets

     74.6     74.6     75.7

Average interest-earning assets as a percentage of average interest-bearing liabilities

     122.2     123.7     123.5

Yield

     10.3     10.3     9.9

Cost of funds(1)

     5.7     5.7     5.6

Spread(2)

     4.2     4.3     4.1

Net interest margin(3)

     4.7     4.8     4.6

 

(1) Excludes total shareholders’ equity.
(2) Represents the difference between the yield on average interest-earning assets and the cost of average interest-bearing liabilities. The yield on average interest-earning assets is the ratio of interest revenue to average interest-earning assets. The cost of average interest-bearing liabilities is the ratio of interest expense to average interest-bearing liabilities. For purposes of calculating spread, interest-bearing liabilities include non-interest bearing current accounts.
(3) The net interest margin is the ratio of net interest revenue to average interest-earning assets. The difference in the net interest margin and spread arises due to the difference in the amount of average interest-earning assets and average interest-bearing liabilities. If average interest-earning assets exceed average interest-bearing liabilities, the net interest margin is greater than the spread. If average interest-bearing liabilities exceed average interest-earning assets, the net interest margin is less than the spread.

Return on Equity and Assets

The following table presents selected financial ratios for the periods indicated.

 

     Year ended March 31,  
     2014     2015     2016  
     (in millions, except percentages)  

Net income

   Rs. 79,319.7      Rs. 99,237.7      Rs. 117,915.3   

Average total assets

     4,505,119.5        5,289,353.5        6,776,037.8   

Average total shareholders’ equity

     507,756.4        615,414.2        820,769.1   

Net income as a percentage of average total assets

     1.8     1.9     1.7

Net income as a percentage of average total shareholders’ equity

     15.6     16.1     14.4

Average total shareholders’ equity as a percentage of average total assets

     11.3     11.6     12.1

Dividend payout-ratio

     20.7     20.2     20.4

 

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Investment Portfolio

Available for Sale Investments

The following tables set forth, as of the dates indicated, information related to our investments available for sale.

 

    At March 31,  
    2014     2015     2016  
    Amortized
Cost
    Gross
unrealized
gain
    Gross
unrealized
loss
    Fair value     Amortized
cost
    Gross
unrealized
gain
    Gross
unrealized
loss
    Fair value     Amortized
cost
    Gross
unrealized
gain
    Gross
unrealized
loss
    Fair Value  
    (in millions)  

Government securities

  Rs. 839,410.1      Rs. 919.1      Rs. 19,763.4      Rs. 820,565.8      Rs. 1,205,655.3      Rs. 15,917.7      Rs. 1,242.7      Rs. 1,220,330.3      Rs. 1,536,017.9      Rs. 15,978.2      Rs. 168.0      Rs. 1,551,828.1   

Other debt securities

    70,902.1        244.8        32.8        71,114.1        257,847.7        412.6        178.9        258,081.4        305,696.6        335.8        235.4        305,797.0   

Total debt securities (1)

  Rs. 910,312.2      Rs. 1,163.9      Rs.      19,796.2      Rs. 891,679.9      Rs. 1,463,503.0      Rs. 16,330.3      Rs. 1,421.6      Rs. 1,478,411.7      Rs. 1,841,714.5      Rs. 16,314.0      Rs. 403.4      Rs. 1,857,625.1   

Non-debt securities (2)

    16,972.7        585.9        414.2        17,144.4        25,582.4        871.2        452.5        26,001.1        20,836.4        653.7        430.8        21,059.3   

Total

  Rs. 927,284.9      Rs. 1,749.8      Rs. 20,210.4      Rs. 908,824.3      Rs. 1,489,085.4      Rs. 17,201.5      Rs.      1,874.1      Rs. 1,504,412.8      Rs. 1,862,550.9      Rs. 16,967.7      Rs. 834.2      Rs. 1,878,684.4   

 

(1) Excludes asset and mortgage-backed securities.
(2) Includes asset and mortgage-backed securities.

Held for Trading Investments

The following table sets forth, as of the dates indicated, information related to our investments held for trading:

 

    At March 31,  
    2014     2015     2016  
    Amortized
cost
    Gross
unrealized
gain
    Gross
unrealized
loss
    Fair value     Amortized
cost
    Gross
unrealized
gain
    Gross
unrealized
loss
    Fair value     Amortized
cost
    Gross
unrealized
gain
    Gross
unrealized
loss
    Fair value  
    (in millions)  

Government securities

  Rs. 56,409.0      Rs. 3.5      Rs. 191.1      Rs. 56,221.4      Rs. 60,239.5      Rs. 53.5      Rs. 0.2      Rs. 60,292.8      Rs. 56,954.3      Rs. 41.9      Rs. —        Rs. 56,996.2   

Other debt securities

    8,874.2        11.7        55.2        8,830.7        1,000.0        —         —         1,000.0        14,749.1        115.60        —          14,864.7   

Total debt securities

  Rs. 65,283.2      Rs. 15.2      Rs. 246.3      Rs. 65,052.1      Rs. 61,239.5      Rs. 53.5      Rs. 0.2      Rs. 61,292.8      Rs. 71,703.4      Rs. 157.5      Rs. —        Rs. 71,860.9   

Non-debt securities

    25.2        0.7        0.1        25.8        —          —         —         —          —          —          —          —     

Total

  Rs. 65,308.4      Rs. 15.9      Rs. 246.4      Rs. 65,077.9      Rs. 61,239.5      Rs. 53.5      Rs. 0.2      Rs. 61,292.8      Rs. 71,703.4      Rs. 157.5      Rs. —        Rs. 71,860.9   

Residual Maturity Profile

The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, an analysis of the residual maturity profile of our investments in government and other debt securities classified as available-for-sale securities and their market yields.

 

     At March 31, 2016  
     Up to one year     One to five years     Five to ten years     More than ten years  
     Amount      Yield     Amount      Yield     Amount      Yield     Amount      Yield  
     (in millions, except percentages)  

Government securities

   Rs. 511,235.9         7.1   Rs. 275,578.9         7.4   Rs. 394,717.4         7.8   Rs. 370,295.9         7.9

Other debt securities

     270,057.0         8.6        30,044.7         8.0        5,695.3         9.6        —           —     

Total debt securities, fair value

   Rs. 781,292.9         7.6   Rs. 305,623.6         7.5   Rs. 400,412.7         7.8   Rs. 370,295.9         7.9

Total amortized cost

   Rs. 780,914.9         Rs. 302,185.8         Rs. 392,881.6         Rs. 365,732.2      

 

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Funding

Our funding operations are designed to ensure stability, low cost of funding and effective liquidity management. The primary source of funding is deposits raised from retail customers, which were 79% and 80% of total deposits, as of March 31, 2015 and March 31, 2016, respectively. Wholesale banking deposits represented 21% and 20% of total deposits, as of March 31, 2015 and March 31, 2016, respectively.

Total Deposits

The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, our average outstanding deposits and the percentage composition by each category of deposits. The average cost (interest expense divided by the average of the daily balance for the relevant period) of savings deposits was 4.0% in fiscals 2014, 2015 and 2016. The average cost of time deposits was 8.2% in fiscal 2014, 8.0% in fiscal 2015 and 7.7% in fiscal 2016. The average deposits for the periods set forth are as follows:

 

     Year ended March 31,  
     2014     2015     2016  
     Amount      % of total     Amount      % of total     Amount      % of total  
     (in millions, except percentages)  

Current deposits

   Rs. 448,165.2         14.1   Rs. 519,675.4         13.4   Rs. 620,340.4         12.6

Savings deposits

     893,648.0         28.0        1,054,374.0         27.1        1,258,166.0         25.6   

Time deposits

     1,844,247.6         57.9        2,311,018.5         59.5        3,043,349.1         61.8   

Total

   Rs. 3,186,060.8         100.0   Rs. 3,885,067.9         100.0   Rs. 4,921,855.5         100.0

As of March 31, 2016, individual time deposits in excess of Rs. 0.1 million had a balance to maturity profile as follows:

 

     At March 31, 2016  
     Up to three months      Three to six months      Six to twelve months      More than one year  
     (in millions)  

Balance to maturity for time deposits exceeding Rs. 0.1 million each

   Rs. 768,132.4       Rs. 524,109.9       Rs. 1,089,664.5       Rs. 543,130.9   

Short-term Borrowings

The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, information related to our short-term borrowings, which are comprised primarily of money-market borrowings. Short-term borrowings include securities sold under repurchase agreements.

 

     Years ended March 31,  
     2014     2015     2016  
     (in millions, except percentages)  

Period end

   Rs. 150,775.5      Rs. 264,191.9      Rs. 559,622.4   

Average balance during the period

   Rs. 327,891.7      Rs. 130,533.2      Rs. 342,855.1   

Maximum outstanding

   Rs. 549,576.7      Rs. 341,571.4      Rs. 613,882.4   

Average interest rate during the period(1)

     5.5     5.6     4.8

Average interest rate at period end(2)

     3.3     4.0     5.2

 

(1) Represents the ratio of interest expense on short-term borrowings to the average of daily balances of short-term borrowings.
(2) Represents the weighted average rate of short-term borrowings outstanding as of March 31, 2014, 2015 and 2016.

 

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Subordinated Debt

We also obtain funds from the issuance of unsecured non-convertible subordinated debt securities, which qualify as Tier 1 or Tier 2 risk-based capital under the RBI’s guidelines for assessing capital adequacy. Subordinated debt (Lower Tier 2 capital), Upper Tier 2 capital and Innovative Perpetual Debt Instruments outstanding as on March 31, 2016 are Rs. 121.42 billion (previous year: Rs. 133.44 billion), Rs. 40.78 billion (previous year: Rs. 40.41 billion), and Rs. 2.00 billion (previous year: Rs. 2.00 billion), respectively. The breakup of the same is shown hereunder:

 

Type

   Currency      Year of
issue
     Year of
maturity
     Average
tenor
(years)
     Interest rate
(%)
    Year of call      Step-up rate
(%)
    Face value
(Rupees in billions)
 

Lower Tier II

     INR         2003-04         2017-18         13.3         6.00        —          —         0.05   

Lower Tier II

     INR         2006-07         2016-17         10.0         8.45        —          —         1.69   

Lower Tier II

     INR         2006-07         2016-17         10.0         9.10        —          —         2.41   

Lower Tier II

     INR         2008-09         2018-19         10.0         10.70        —          —         11.50   

Lower Tier II

     INR         2008-09         2018-19         10.0         9.75        —          —         1.50   

Lower Tier II

     INR         2011-12         2026-27         15.0         9.48        2021-22         —         36.50   

Lower Tier II

     INR         2012-13         2027-28         15.2         9.45        2022-23         —         34.77   

Lower Tier II

     INR         2012-13         2022-23         10.0         8.95        2017-18         —         5.65   

Lower Tier II

     INR         2012-13         2022-23         10.0         9.10        2017-18         —         14.05   

Lower Tier II

     INR         2012-13         2022-23         10.0         10.20        —          —         2.50   

Lower Tier II

     INR         2012-13         2022-23         10.0         9.70        —          —         1.50   

Lower Tier II

     INR         2012-13         2022-23         10.0         9.60        —          —         2.00   

Lower Tier II

     INR         2013-14         2023-24         10.0         10.20        —          —         1.00   

Lower Tier II

     INR         2013-14         2023-24         10.0         10.05        —          —         0.50   

Lower Tier II

     INR         2013-14         2023-24         10.0         10.19        —          —         0.80   

Lower Tier II

     INR         2014-15         2024-25         10.0         9.70        —          —         2.00   

Lower Tier II

     INR         2014-15         2024-25         10.0         9.55        —          —         1.00   

Lower Tier II

     INR         2014-15         2024-25         10.0         9.55        —          —         2.00   

Upper Tier II

     INR         2006-07         2021-22         15.0         8.80        2016-17         9.55        3.00   

Upper Tier II

     INR         2006-07         2021-22         15.0         9.20        2016-17         9.95        3.00   

Upper Tier II

     INR         2006-07         2021-22         15.0         8.95        2016-17         9.70        0.36   

Upper Tier II

     USD         2006-07         2021-22         15.1        
 
USD
LIBOR+1.2
  
    2016-17        
 
USD
Libor+2.2
  
    6.63   

Upper Tier II

     INR         2007-08         2022-23         15.0         10.84        2017-18        
 
5 Year GSec
Yield+3.5
  
    1.00   

Upper Tier II

     INR         2008-09         2023-24         15.0         10.85        2018-19         11.35        5.78   

Upper Tier II

     INR         2008-09         2023-24         15.0         9.85        2018-19         10.35        7.97   

Upper Tier II

     INR         2008-09         2023-24         15.0         9.95        2018-19         10.45        2.00   

Upper Tier II

     INR         2010-11         2025-26         15.0         8.70        2020-21         9.20        11.05   

Perpetual Bond

     INR         2006-07            —           9.92        2016-17         10.92        2.00   

The Upper Tier II U.S. dollar debt depicted in the table above is for an amount of US$100 million raised during fiscal 2007 carrying an interest rate of LIBOR + 1.20. In the table above, the rupee equivalent is based on the translation rate of Rs. 66.255 = US$1.00. We have a right to redeem certain of the issuances as noted above under “year of call”. If not called, the interest rate on some of the debt instruments increases to the step-up rate.

 

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Asset Liability Gap

The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, our asset-liability gap position:

 

    As of March 31, 2016(1)  
    0-28 days     29-90 days     91-180 days     6-12 months     Total within
one year
    Over
1 year
to 3 years
    Over
3 years
to 5 years
    Over
5 years
    Total  
    (in millions, except percentages)  

Cash and cash equivalents(2)(3)

    184,482.1        17,342.4        17,386.3        22,355.0        241,565.8        87,784.2        5,140.8        43,180.9        377,671.7   

Term placements

    1,000.0        150.5        13,442.9        17,829.1        32,422.5        38,905.3        45,642.7        31,929.3        148,899.8   

Investments held for trading(4)

    56,989.8        14,871.1        —          —          71,860.9        —          —          —          71,860.9   

Investments available for sale(5)(6)

    662,883.2        222,708.2        119,227.2        138,505.4        1,143,324.0        446,271.5        36,501.5        252,587.4        1,878,684.4   

Securities purchased under agreement to resell

    —          1,019.9        —          —          1,019.9        —          —          —          1,019.9   

Loans, net(7)(8)

    379,112.8        493,226.4        427,063.5        647,126.7        1,946,529.4        2,167,781.6        453,464.8        367,698.5        4,935,474.3   

Accrued interest receivable

    31,820.7        18,001.0        7,322.8        998.0        58,142.5        124.3        4.9        4.7        58,276.4   

Other assets(13)

    392.0        1,072.3        22.6        388.8        1,875.7        141,647.1        —          —          143,522.8   

Total financial assets

    1,316,680.6        768,391.8        584,465.3        827,203.0        3,496,740.7        2,882,514.0        540,754.7        695,400.8        7,615,410.2   

Deposits(9)(10)

    579,610.1        382,121.2        392,771.4        780,061.3        2,134,564.0        2,227,737.0        123,615.1        971,944.2        5,457,860.3   

Debt(11)

    54,298.0        103,057.7        117,485.6        129,050.7        403,892.0        195,228.2        23,840.5        152,915.2        775,875.9   

Securities sold under repurchase agreements

    306,060.0        —          —          —          306,060.0        —          —          —          306,060.0   

Other Liabilities(12)(13)

    173,952.4        16,706.3        1,025.9        5,493.9        197,178.5        128,944.4        9.0        —          326,131.9   

Total financial liabilities

    1,113,920.5        501,885.2        511,282.9        914,605.9        3,041,694.5        2,551,909.6        147,464.6        1,124,859.4        6,865,928.1   

Asset/liability gap

    202,760.1        266,506.6        73,182.4        (87,402.9     455,046.2        330,604.4        393,290.1        (429,458.6     749,482.1   

Cumulative gap

    202,760.1        469,266.7        542,449.1        455,046.2        455,046.2        785,650.6        1,178,940.7        749,482.1        749,482.1   

Cumulative gap as a percentage of total financial assets

    15.4     22.5     20.3     13.0     13.0     12.3     17.0     9.8     9.8

 

(1) Assets and liabilities are classified into the applicable maturity categories based on residual maturity unless specifically mentioned.
(2) Cash on hand is classified in the “0-28” days category.
(3) Cash and cash equivalents include balances with the RBI to satisfy its cash reserve ratio requirements. These balances are held in the form of overnight cash deposits but we classify these balances as part of the applicable maturity categories on a basis proportionate to the classification of related deposits.
(4) Securities in the trading book are classified based on the expected time of realization for such investments. Units of open ended mutual funds, if any, are classified in “0-28” days category.
(5) Securities held towards satisfying the statutory liquidity requirement prescribed by the RBI are classified based on the applicable maturity categories on a basis proportionate to the classification of related deposits.
(6) Shares in the available-for-sale investment portfolio are classified in the “over 5 years” category. Units of open ended mutual funds, if any, are classified in “0-28” days category.
(7) Includes net non-performing loans which are classified in the “Over 3 years to 5 years” and “Over 5 years” categories.
(8) Ambiguous maturity overdrafts are classified under various maturity categories based on a historical behavioral analysis that we have performed to determine the appropriate maturity categorization of such advances.
(9) Current and savings deposits are classified under various maturity categories based on a historical behavioral analysis that we have performed to determine the appropriate maturity categorization of such deposits.
(10) Time deposits under Rs. 10 million are classified under various maturity categories based on the historical behavioral analysis that we have performed to determine the appropriate maturity categorization of such deposits taking into account rollovers and premature withdrawals. The rest have been classified under various maturity categories based on the residual maturity.
(11) Includes short-term borrowings and long-term debt.
(12) Cash floats are classified under various maturity categories based on the historical behavioral analysis that we have performed to determine the appropriate maturity categorization of such floats.
(13) Other assets and other liabilities are classified under various maturity categories based on historical behavioral analysis that we have performed to determine the appropriate maturity categorization of such other assets and other liabilities.

For further information on how we manage our asset liability risk, see “Business—Risk Management—Market Risk ”.

 

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Loan Portfolio and Credit Substitutes

As of March 31, 2016, our gross loan portfolio amounted to Rs. 4,992.8 billion. As of that date, our gross credit substitutes outstanding were Rs. 297.2 billion. Almost all our gross loans and credit substitutes are to borrowers in India and approximately 90% are denominated in rupees. For a description of our retail and wholesale loan products, see “Business—Retail Banking—Retail Loans and Other Asset Products” and “Business—Wholesale Banking—Commercial Banking Products—Commercial Loan Products and Credit Substitutes”.

The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, our gross loan portfolio classified by product group:

 

     At March 31,  
     2012      2013      2014      2015      2016  
     (in millions)  

Retail loans

   Rs. 1,344,966.8       Rs. 1,729,503.7       Rs. 2,188,337.7       Rs. 2,720,988.5       Rs. 3,458,565.7   

Wholesale loans

     689,314.4         808,742.1         1,039,923.6         1,222,460.6         1,534,268.7   

Gross loans

   Rs. 2,034,281.2       Rs. 2,538,245.8       Rs. 3,228,261.3       Rs. 3,943,449.1       Rs. 4,992,834.4   

Credit substitutes (at fair value)

     11,800.5         46,622.6         65,147.1         195,058.9         297,241.0   

Gross loans plus credit substitutes

   Rs. 2,046,081.7       Rs. 2,584,868.4       Rs. 3,293,408.4       Rs. 4,138,508.0       Rs. 5,290,075.4   

Maturity and Interest Rate Sensitivity of Loans and Credit Substitutes

The following tables set forth, for the period indicated, the maturity and interest rate sensitivity of our loans and credit substitutes:

 

     At March 31, 2016  
     Due in one
year or less
     Due in one
to five years
     Due after
five years
 
     (in millions)  

Retail loans

     Rs.1,124,851.5         Rs.2,045,379.8         Rs.288,334.4   

Wholesale loans

     821,677.9         589,572.7         123,018.1   

Gross loans

     Rs.1,946,529.4         Rs.2,634,952.5         Rs.411,352.5   

Credit substitutes (at fair value)

     263,659.4         27,886.2         5,695.4   

Gross loans plus credit substitutes

     Rs.2,210,188.8         Rs.2,662,838.7         Rs.417,047.9   
     At March 31, 2016  
     Due in one
year or less
     Due in one
to five years
     Due after five
years
 
     (in millions)  

Interest rate classification of loans by maturity:

        

Variable rates

     Rs.   378,014.9         Rs.   1,245,215.6         Rs.411,352.5   

Fixed rates

     1,568,514.5         1,389,736.9         —     

Gross loans

     Rs.1,946,529.4         Rs.2,634,952.5         Rs.411,352.5   

Interest rate classification of credit substitutes by maturity:

        

Variable rates

     Rs.               —         Rs.               —         Rs.            —   

Fixed rates

     263,659.4         27,886.2         5,695.4   

Gross credit substitutes

     Rs.   263,659.4         Rs.     27,886.2         Rs.     5,695.4   

Interest rate classification of loans and credit substitutes by maturity:

        

Variable rates

     Rs.   378,014.9         Rs.  1,245,215.6         Rs.411,352.5   

Fixed rates

     1,832,173.9         1,417,623.1         5,695.4   

Gross loans and credit substitutes

     Rs.2,210,188.8         Rs.2,662,838.7         Rs.417,047.9   

 

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Concentration of Loans and Credit Substitutes

Pursuant to the guidelines of the RBI, our exposure to individual borrowers is limited to 15% of our capital funds (as defined by the RBI and calculated under Indian GAAP), and our exposure to a group of companies under the same management is limited to 40% of our capital funds. In the case of infrastructure projects, such as power, telecommunications, road and port projects, an additional exposure of up to 5% of capital funds is allowed in respect of individual borrowers and up to 10% in respect of group borrowers. We may, in exceptional circumstances and with the approval of our Board of Directors, consider enhancement of exposure to a borrower by a further 5% of capital funds. See “Supervision and Regulation—Credit Exposure Limits”.

The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, our gross loans and fair value of credit substitutes outstanding by the borrower’s industry or economic activity and as a percentage of our gross loans and fair value of credit substitutes (where such percentage exceeds 2.0% of the total). We do not consider retail loans a specific industry for this purpose. However, retail business banking loans are classified in the appropriate categories below and loans to commercial vehicle operators are included in land transport below. For the purposes of industry-wise classification of retail loans, from fiscal 2015 the end use (i.e. business purpose or personal use) is taken into consideration. Accordingly, exposures to individual and non-individual borrowers, where the credit facilities are for business purposes, are being reported under the industry relating to the activity of the borrower. Where the credit facilities are for personal use, the exposure to the individual borrower is classified under Consumer Loans.

 

    At March 31,  
    2012     2013     2014     2015     2016  
    (in millions, except percentages)  

Consumer Loans

  Rs. —          —     Rs. —          —     Rs. —          —     Rs. 479,467.5        11.6   Rs. 670,622.8        12.7

Activities allied to agriculture

    45,591.8        2.2        —          —          155,559.1        4.7        422,894.4        10.2        550,848.4        10.4   

Wholesale Trade

    110,828.9        5.4        178,552.2        6.9        235,811.8        7.2        314,066.2        7.6        362,316.5        6.8   

Services

    —          —          73,757.3        2.9        96,580.6        2.9        230,486.5        5.6        310,019.3        5.9   

Retail trade

    52,373.5        2.6        71,102.3        2.8        90,086.2        2.7        190,434.7        4.6        258,095.4        4.9   

Non-Banking Financial Companies /Financial Intermediaries

    52,596.5        2.6        58,346.2        2.3        80,993.0        2.5        154,730.5        3.7        220,012.7        4.2   

Automobile & Auto Ancillary

    70,175.3        3.4        109,667.7        4.2        150,954.5        4.6        215,063.9        5.2        210,699.3        4.0   

Land transport

    129,736.4        6.3        157,938.8        6.1        150,177.4        4.6        131,762.3        3.2        184,398.2        3.5   

Food & Beverage

    46,444.1        2.3        70,405.2        2.7        100,588.6        3.1        128,212.4        3.1        155,489.6        2.9   

Real Estate & Property Services

    47,422.1        2.3        —          —          —          —          91,871.9        2.2        125,193.8        2.4   

Power

    44,135.9        2.2        —          —          72,469.7        2.2        112,016.5        2.7        119,207.9        2.3   

Iron & Steel

    —          —          53,229.3        2.1        85,283.2        2.6        86,389.7        2.1        117,845.3        2.2   

Coal & Petroleum Products

    —          —          —          —          69,725.4        2.1        —          —          —          —     

Others (including unclassified retail)

    1,446,777.2        70.7        1,811,869.4        70.0        2,005,178.9        60.8        1,581,111.5        38.2        2,005,326.2        37.8   

Total

  Rs. 2,046,081.7        100.0   Rs. 2,584,868.4        100.0   Rs.    3,293,408.4        100.0   Rs.    4,138,508.0        100.0   Rs. 5,290,075.4        100.0

As of March 31, 2016, our 10 largest exposures totaled approximately Rs.607.7 billion and represented 85.6% of our capital funds as per RBI guidelines. The largest group of companies under the same management control accounted for 34.9% of our capital funds as per RBI guidelines.

 

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Directed Lending

The RBI has established guidelines requiring Indian banks to lend 40% of their adjusted net bank credit (ANBC), as computed in accordance with RBI guidelines, or the credit equivalent amount of off balance sheet exposures, whichever is higher, as of the corresponding date of the preceding year, to certain sectors called “priority sectors.” Priority sectors are broadly comprised of agriculture, micro enterprises and other priority sector lending (PSL), which includes small and medium enterprises, residential mortgages, education, renewal energy and social infrastructure, among others, subject to satisfying certain criteria.

We are required to comply with the PSL requirements as of March 31 of each fiscal year, a date specified by the RBI for reporting. We have met our overall PSL targets of 40% and our total PSL achievement for fiscal 2016 stood at 47.94%. However, in fiscal 2016 agricultural loans made to small and marginal farmers were 5.75% of ANBC, against the requirement of 7.0%, with a shortfall of Rs. 41.8 billion, and advances to sections termed “weaker” by the RBI were 9.09% against the requirement of 10.0%, with a shortfall of Rs. 30.23 billion. We may be required by the RBI to deposit with the Indian Development Banks certain amounts as specified by the RBI in the coming year due to the shortfall in certain sub-categories of PSL targets. As of March 31, 2016, our total investments as directed by RBI in such deposits were Rs. 137.2 billion yielding returns ranging from 3% to 8.25%.

The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, our directed lending broken down by sector:

 

     As of March 31,  
     2012      2013      2014      2015      2016  
     (in millions)  

Directed lending:

              

Agriculture

   Rs. 246,506.4       Rs. 291,689.2       Rs. 324,173.2       Rs. 392,441.4       Rs. 528,672.4   

Micro and small enterprises

     248,497.9         296,012.3         363,485.8         454,716.8         682,621.9   

Other

     148,296.9         184,872.3         214,786.0         221,829.8         217,302.5   

Total directed lending

   Rs. 643,301.2       Rs. 772,573.8       Rs. 902,445.0       Rs. 1,068,988.0       Rs. 1,428,596.8   

Non-Performing Loans

The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, information about our non-performing loan portfolio:

 

    As of March 31,  
    2012     2013     2014     2015     2016  
    (in millions, except percentages)  

Non-performing loans:

         

Retail loans

  Rs. 11,311.3      Rs. 14,579.1      Rs. 20,928.3      Rs. 25,835.2      Rs. 37,423.0   

Wholesale loans

    7,723.6        6,553.0        8,758.2        13,489.6        15,559.7   

Gross non-performing loans

  Rs. 19,034.9      Rs. 21,132.1      Rs. 29,686.5      Rs. 39,324.8      Rs. 52,982.7   

Allowances for credit losses

  Rs. 15,316.7      Rs. 16,466.9      Rs. 20,649.2      Rs. 24,709.0      Rs. 31,008.1   

Unallocated allowances for credit losses

    12,590.2        17,227.3        21,964.0        22,625.1        26,352.0   

Non-performing loans net of specific allowances for credit losses

    3,718.2        4,665.2        9,037.3        14,615.8        21,974.6   

Gross loan assets

    2,034,281.2        2,538,245.8        3,228,261.3        3,943,449.1        4,992,834.4   

Net loan assets

  Rs. 2,006,374.3      Rs. 2,504,551.6      Rs. 3,185,648.1      Rs. 3,896,115.0      Rs. 4,935,474.3   

Gross non-performing loans as a percentage of gross loans

    0.9     0.8     0.9     1.0     1.1

Gross unsecured non-performing loans as a percentage of gross non-performing loans

    14.4     15.2     15.8     13.9     11.1

Gross unsecured non-performing loans as a percentage of gross unsecured loans.

    0.6     0.6     0.7     0.6     0.5

Non-performing loans net of specific allowances for credit losses as a percentage of net loan assets

    0.2     0.2     0.3     0.4     0.4

Specific allowances for credit losses as a percentage of gross non-performing loans

    80.5     77.9     69.6     62.8     58.5

Total allowances for credit losses as a percentage of gross non-performing loans

    146.6     159.4     143.5     120.4     108.3

 

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Recognition of Non-Performing Loans

We classify our loan portfolio into loans that are performing and loans that are non-performing or impaired. We have categorized our gross loans based on their performance status as follows:

 

     At March 31,  
     2012      2013      2014      2015      2016  
     (in millions)  

Performing

   Rs. 2,015,246.3       Rs. 2,517,113.7       Rs. 3,198,574.8       Rs. 3,904,124.3       Rs. 4,939,851.7   

Non-performing or impaired:

              

On accrual status

     624.4         253.3         271.8         2,431.2         4,291.3   

On non-accrual status

     18,410.5         20,878.8         29,414.7         36,893.6         48,691.4   

Total non-performing or impaired

     19,034.9         21,132.1         29,686.5         39,324.8         52,982.7   

Total

   Rs. 2,034,281.2       Rs. 2,538,245.8       Rs. 3,228,261.3       Rs. 3,943,449.1       Rs. 4,992,834.4   

We consider a loan to be performing when no principal or interest payment is three months or more past due and where we expect to recover all amounts due to us. In the case of wholesale loans, we also identify loans as non-performing or impaired even when principal or interest payments are less than three months past due but where we believe recovery of all principal and interest amounts is doubtful. Interest income from loans is recognized on an accrual basis using effective interest method when earned except in respect of loans placed on non-accrual status, for which interest income is recognized when received. Loans are placed on “non-accrual” status when interest or principal payments are three months past due.

Our methodology for determining specific and unallocated allowances is discussed separately below for each category of loans.

Retail

Our retail loan loss allowance consists of specific and unallocated allowances.

We establish a specific allowance on our retail loan portfolio based on factors such as the nature of the product, delinquency levels or the number of days the loan is past due and the nature of the security available. Additionally we monitor loan to value ratios for loans against securities. The loans are charged off against allowances typically when the account becomes 150 to 1,083 days past due depending on the type of loans. The defined delinquency levels at which major loan types are charged off are 150 days past due for personal loans, 180 days past due for credit card receivables, auto loans, commercial vehicle and construction equipment finance, 720 days past due for housing loans and on a customer by customer basis in respect of retail business banking when we believe that any future cash flows from these loans are remote, including realization of collateral, if applicable, and where any restructuring or any other settlement arrangements are not feasible.

We also record unallocated allowances for retail loans by product type. Our retail loan portfolio is comprised of groups of large numbers of small value homogeneous loans. We establish an unallocated allowance for loans in each product group based on our estimate of the overall portfolio quality, asset growth, economic conditions and other risk factors. We estimate unallocated allowance for retail loans based on an internal credit slippage matrix, which measures our historic losses for our standard loan portfolio. Subsequent recoveries, if any, against write off cases are adjusted to provision for credit losses in the consolidated statement of income.

 

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Wholesale

The allowance for wholesale loans consists of specific and unallocated components. The allowance for such credit losses is evaluated on a regular basis by us and is based upon our view of the probability of recovery of loans in light of historical experience, the nature and volume of the loan portfolio, adverse situations that may affect the borrower’s ability to repay, the estimated value of any underlying collateral, factors affecting the industry which the loan exposure relates to and prevailing economic conditions. This evaluation is inherently subjective as it requires estimates that are susceptible to significant revision as more information becomes available. Loans are charged off against the allowance when management believes that the loan balance cannot be recovered. Subsequent recoveries, if any, against write off cases are adjusted to provision for credit losses in the consolidated statement of income.

We grade our wholesale loan accounts considering both qualitative and quantitative criteria. Wholesale loans are considered impaired when, based on current information and events, it is probable that we will be unable to collect scheduled payments of principal or interest when due according to the contractual terms of the loan agreement. Factors considered by us in determining impairment include payment status, the financial condition of the borrower, the value of collateral held, and the probability of collecting scheduled principal and interest payments when due.

We establish specific allowances for each impaired wholesale loan customer in the aggregate for all facilities, including term loans, cash credits, bills discounted and lease finance, based on either the present value of expected future cash flows discounted at the loan’s effective interest rate or the net realizable value of the collateral if the loan is collateral dependent.

Wholesale loans that experience insignificant payment delays and payment shortfalls are generally not classified as impaired but are placed on a surveillance watch list and closely monitored for deterioration. We determine the significance of payment delays and payment shortfalls on a case-by-case basis, taking into consideration all of the circumstances surrounding the loan and the borrower, including the length of the delay, the reasons for the delay, the borrower’s prior payment record, market information, and the amount of the shortfall in relation to the principal and interest owed.

The Bank has also established an unallocated allowance for wholesale standard loans based on the overall portfolio quality, asset growth, economic conditions and other risk factors. We estimate our wholesale unallocated allowance based on an internal credit slippage matrix, which measures our historic losses for our standard loan portfolio.

 

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Analysis of Non-Performing Loans by Industry Sector

The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, our non-performing loans by borrowers’ industry or economic activity in each of the respective periods and as a percentage of our loans in the respective industry or economic activity sector. These figures do not include credit substitutes, which we include for purposes of calculating our industry concentration for RBI reporting. See “Risk Factors—We have high concentrations of exposures to certain customers and sectors and if any of these exposures were to become non-performing, the quality of our portfolio could be adversely affected and our ability to meet capital requirements could be jeopardized”.

 

    As of March 31,  
    2012     2013     2014     2015     2016  

Industry

  Gross
Loans
    Non
performing
loans
    % of
loans in
industry
    Gross
Loans
    Non
performing
loans
    % of
loans in
industry
    Gross
Loans
    Non
performing
loans
    % of
loans in
industry
    Gross
Loans
    Non
performing
loans
    % of
loans in
industry
    Gross
Loans
    Non
performing
loans
    % of
loans in
industry
 
    (in millions, except percentages)  

Glass and glass products

  Rs. 5,105.8      Rs. 138.4        2.7   Rs. —       Rs. —         —     Rs. —       Rs. —         —     Rs. 5,895.8      Rs. 1,635.1        27.7   Rs. 8,111.7      Rs. 1,727.1        21.3

Iron and steel

    40,755.1        57.7        0.1        53,229.3        492.6        0.9        82,959.4        1,811.8        2.2        84,913.9        4,793.8        5.6        97,934.7        4,712.7        4.8   

Construction and Developers (Infrastructure)

    —         —         —         —         —         —         37,164.8        64.0        0.2        63,146.3        870.9        1.4        63,931.9       2,991.7       4.7   

Wood & Products

    —         —         —         3,716.0        5.7        0.2        3,865.5        5.7        0.1        6,324.2        188.1        3.0        8,482.6       291.0       3.4  

Real Estate & Property Services

    —         —         —         —         —         —         56,469.4        136.3        0.2        88,264.9        846.9        1.0        121,992.9       3,559.2       2.9  

Rubber & Products

    —         —         —         —         —         —         —         —         —         5,418.8        140.2        2.6        5,767.0       159.0       2.8  

Miscellaneous industries

    12,242.2        78.5        0.6        38,076.9        97.8        0.3        26,358.9        86.7        0.3        69,377.7        1,436.4        2.1        47,072.1       1,057.5       2.2  

Activities allied to agriculture

    45,591.8        166.9        0.4        51,213.7        205.5        0.4        155,559.1        260.1        0.2        422,894.4        5,369.3        1.3        550,848.4       7,397.1       1.3  

Wholesale Trade

    110,828.9        638.5        0.6        178,552.2        805.8        0.5        235,711.9        780.5        0.3        308,806.4        3,608.2        1.2        349,927.1       4,671.8       1.3  

Information Technology

    11,004.0        529.5        4.8        9,955.8        604.2        6.1        11,922.0        479.8        4.0        21,913.3        591.5        2.7        15,365.5       200.4       1.3