Page 6 - Banking Finance November 2025

BANK UPDATE

Bank of Maharashtra Q2 Pay on UPI using face and fingerprint: No PIN

net profit jumps 23% to needed
Rs. 1,633 crore In a major push for secure and seamless digital payments, the government
Bank of Maharashtra reported a has introduced on-device biometric authentication for UPI, allowing users
23.09% increase in standalone net to approve payments using their smartphone's face unlock or fingerprint
profit to Rs. 1,633.14 crore in Q2 FY26, instead of entering a UPI PIN. The move is aimed at making transactions
supported by a 17.1% rise in total in- faster, more secure, and inclusive-especially for rural and elderly users.
come, which stood at Rs. 7,973.61 Launched by Department of Financial Services Secretary M Nagaraju, the
crore. Profit before tax grew 31.78% new feature leverages the phone's built-in security system. Each transac-
year-on-year to Rs. 1,818.38 crore. tion will be independently verified by the issuing bank using robust crypto-
Net interest income rose 15.71% to Rs. graphic checks, ensuring safety without compromising ease of use.
2,807 crore, while the net interest Experts like Airtel Payments Bank CEO Anubrata Biswas called it a "decisive
margin stood strong at 3.85%. Oper- step" to combat fraud and simplify usage in less tech-savvy areas. However,
ating profit rose 16.91% to Rs. 2,574 Think360 CEO Amit Das warned of risks from deepfakes and identity spoof-
crore. Provision and contingencies fell ing, urging for liveness detection and stronger encryption.
8.06% to Rs. 755.87 crore. Zeta's Ramki Gaddipati clarified that biometric data remains securely within
Asset quality improved with gross NPA the device and is not shared with NPCI or banks, as the authentication is
at 1.72% and net NPA at 0.18%. The handled at the OS level.
provision coverage ratio stood at an This feature is expected to boost adoption, trust, and user experience in
impressive 98.34%. Advances grew by India's thriving UPI ecosystem.
15.34% YoY to Rs. 2.41 lakh crore,
while deposits rose 14.07% YoY to Rs. tors to retain greater control of their Indian Bank Q2 net profit
2.67 lakh crore. businesses.
rises 11%, asset quality
The Basel III capital adequacy ratio The initiative will offer tailored finan-
improved to 18.13%, with CET1 at cial solutions from seed to IPO stages improves
14.05%. The Government of India and support investors involved in the Indian Bank reported an 11% rise in Q2
holds a 79.6% stake in the bank. Bank startup lifecycle. HSBC Innovation FY26 net profit to Rs. 3,107.9 crore,
of Maharashtra continues its robust Banking is already active in markets compared to Rs. 2,799.7 crore in the
financial performance, focusing on digi- such as the US, UK, Australia, Europe, same period last year. The bank's to-
tal banking, asset quality, and growth and China, and its Indian entry signals tal income grew to Rs. 19,271.09
across retail and corporate segments. strategic intent to back entrepreneur- crore, up 7% from Rs. 17,971.22 crore
ship in high-growth regions. in Q2 FY25. Net interest income also
HSBC launches $1 bn 'In- David Sabow, Global Head of HSBC In- saw a 5.76% rise to Rs. 6,551 crore.

novation Banking' plat- novation Banking, said the India expan- Gross non-performing assets (NPA)
sion aligns with HSBC's vision of en- dropped to 2.6%, down 88 basis points
form for Indian startups abling startup success globally. Ajay from 3.48% a year ago, while net NPA
UK-based HSBC has launched "Innova- Sharma, HSBC India's Head of Banking, fell to 0.16%. Provision coverage im-
tion Banking" in India, committing $1 added that the bank's global network proved to 98.28%, and capital ad-
billion in non-dilutive debt capital to and venture ecosystem will help Indian equacy stood at a healthy 17.31%. The
support startups. The initiative targets startups scale operations and enter bank's slippage ratio dropped to 0.79%
early to late-stage technology and ven- international markets. from 1.06%.
ture-backed companies, allowing them This offering positions HSBC as a seri- Total deposits rose by 12.09% YoY to
to access growth funding without giv- ous player in India's vibrant startup Rs. 776,946 crore, and gross advances
ing up equity. HSBC stated that this ecosystem at a time of growing global increased by 12.65% to Rs. 620,324
move would enable founders and inves- investor interest in Indian innovation. crore. Return on Assets (ROA) stood at

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