FE Best Banks Awards: Excellence limitless

It was celebration time as soon as once more, and the temper on the FE India’s Best Banks Awards was upbeat. Union finance and company affairs minister Nirmala Sitharaman set the tone by reaffirming that the economic system was in good condition. Addressing a gathering of leaders within the monetary sector and business, Sitharaman highlighted the strong company tax collections saying this was a transparent signal personal investments had been choosing up on the promise of sturdy consumption demand. The minister additionally hinted at sustained assist to exports, as “these are facing external headwinds” and steps to draw extra overseas investments. “We want to draw more foreign investments into India so that the growth momentum is not lost. We are definitely working on this,” Sitharaman stated.

That assurance appeared to cheer up the temper for the remainder of the night, with bankers and businessmen agreeing that the federal government had carried out an excellent job of navigating the pandemic.

HDFC vice chairman & CEO Keki Mistry (L) with finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman. Mistry obtained the Lifetime Achievement Award

The pleasure mounted because the awards presentation started. From fintech founders to CEOs of small finance banks (SFB), non banking monetary firms (NBFC) and bankers, the winners obtained their trophies from the FM, posing for images because the viewers applauded. Performances in 2019-20 and 2020-21 had been acknowledged; there have been those that had been recognised for organisational effectivity and others for the success of a product. Over the years, the awards have appreciated particular person performances. The jury picked Padmaja Chunduru, former MD&CEO, Indian Bank, as Banker of the Year for 2019-20 acknowledging her efforts at rejuvenating the lender. Accepting the honour, Chunduru credited the turnaround at Indian Bank to group effort.

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman (L) with Indian Express Group government director Anant Goenka

For exemplary management of ICICI Bank, throughout an especially troublesome interval, the jury chosen Sandeep Bakhshi because the Banker of the Year for 2020-21. Bakhshi too acknowledged the contribution of everybody on the personal sector financial institution.

Financial Express editor Shyamal Majumdar at an interactive session with finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman

Keki Mistry, vice chairman and CEO of HDFC, walked away with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his 4 a long time of labor within the mortgage area. “I am proud to receive the award from the Express group which is known for its journalistic integrity. I am proud that HDFC, which was set up to facilitate delivery of homes to middle-income Indians, has developed into a financial conglomerate,” Mistry stated.

The Indian Express Group chairman and managing director Viveck Goenka (L) with finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman

Earlier, welcoming the visitors, Viveck Goenka, chairman and managing director, The Indian Express Group, noticed, the FE Best Banks awards have develop into a benchmark for recognising excellence within the monetary sector. The awards, he stated, aren’t solely about celebrating the success of the so-called huge boys of the sector; they’ve additionally been about recognising expertise early on. “FE was among the first to recognise the coming disruption in the financial sector by honouring the excellent work done by NBFCs, fintechs, and small finance banks. We are immensely proud that some of those awarded in the past have since joined the big league by doing phenomenal work,” Goenka stated.