India

Banking in India: Relationships & Technology

Report date: 
16 Dec 2025

Please Log in / Register to access this commentary.

The new CompleXCountries report on Banking in India: Relationships & Technology has now been published. The report is based on a detailed peer discussion between senior corporate treasury professionals from Europe and Asia in which they shared and compared their experiences with their relationship banking partners in India with a focus on how the Indian Government's digitisation initiatives are being experienced.

To read our commentary (key findings) please Log in / Register .

The report can be purchased separately or is available via subscription - Enquire Here.

The report covers practical experiences with:

  • Digitalisation
  • Bank Relationships - pricing & performance
  • Global Banks
  • Indian Banks
  • Bank portals & services
  • Bank guarantees
  • FX
  • FX Hedging
  • Tax & Customs payments
  • Funding 
  • Cards / T&E

The banks discussed in the full report include: JP Morgan, DBS, Citi, HSBC, BNP Paribas, Standard Chartered, Barclays, ICICI, HDFC, Kotak Mahindra Bank and State Bank of India

Topics covered in this report: 
Bank Relationships, guarantees, FX, Hedging FX, Funding, GiftCity, T&E Management, Cards, Tax, Customs, Dividends, Royalties, Cash Repatriation
Service providers discussed in this report: 
ICICI, JP Morgan, Barclays, HSBC, Citi, DBS, BNP Paribas, Standard Chartered, HDFC, Kotak Mahindra Bank, State Bank of India, FBIL

Please log in, or create a free account, to read the whole report summary.

Corporate Treasury, Banking & FX in India

Report date: 
1 Apr 2025

To read this commentary please Register or Log In.

CXC reports are based on confidential peer discussions between senior corporate treasurers sharing their solutions to complex treasury challenges.

Our commentaries, comprising the key findings from the reports are FREE - simply register to access 150+ commentaries and receive new commentaries direct to your inbox.

Our reports are packed with practical, experience based learning allowing users to benchmark their operations and identify proven, actionable efficiencies - please get in touch for details.

Topics covered in this report: 
FX, Hedging FX, Funding, GiftCity, Bank Relationships, Collections - domestic
Service providers discussed in this report: 
DBS, Citi, JP Morgan, BNP Paribas, HSBC, Deutsche Bank, ICICI, HDFC, State Bank of India, Kotak Mahindra Bank, SWIFT, 360T, Bloomberg

Please log in, or create a free account, to read the whole report summary.

India Corporate Treasury Update

Report date: 
20 Feb 2024

Commentary

Calls on India are always well attended: there is never a shortage of items to discuss. It is already a very large market, and it continues to grow – so all international companies are motivated to manage its many complexities. 

Complexity is something at which India excels: the regulations are many, varied, and never easy to navigate. It can be difficult to know exactly what they are: as often happens, we spent a lot of time trying to establish what is, and what is not, allowed. At the same time, the country has come a long way. Many things which used to be forbidden are now allowed: cash can be brought into and out of the country with relative ease, though not without red tape. The authorities are relatively flexible and business friendly. India is in the vanguard of efforts to move away from cash for retail transactions: this may be mostly for tax reasons, but it reflects the country’s leading position in technology.

At the same time, it remains a very large country, with significant regional variations, including language, climate, culture and religion – so differences will continue to exist. Our conversation covered the following points:

  • The economy continues to perform well, though competition is fierce – and, in some areas, India continues to favour national champions.
  • Operations: most peers had different legal entities in India involved in different activities: manufacturing, R&D, shared service centres, marketing, etc. Intercompany lending within the country, while permitted, can be complicated.
  • Onshore versus centralised treasury: many MNCs have local treasury teams, due to the regulations and complexity. This is beginning to change: several participants are starting to bring India into their centralised structures. 
  • Similarly, most peers are only using international banks in the country, and shutting down relationships with local banks. One participant attributed this in part to a regulatory requirement to link lending activity to transactional business – especially as the foreign banks can now provide complete services.
  • Another peer

Please Log in or Register to continue reading this commentary

Topics covered in this report: 
Bank Relationships, FX, Hedging FX, Payments - cross border, Intercompany loans, Cash Pooling - domestic, Cash Repatriation, Payments - domestic, Funding
Service providers discussed in this report: 
Citi, HSBC, JP Morgan, Bank of America, Standard Chartered, BNP Paribas, Deutsche Bank

Please log in, or create a free account, to read the whole report summary.

Treasury & FX in India

Report date: 
20 Feb 2023

Commentary

This Treasury Peer Call took place a few days after the announcement that India had officially overtaken China as the most populous country in the world. Given the increasing speculation that India might also replace China as the world’s fastest growing major economy, it seemed opportune to get a view on how things are developing.

All participants are bullish about their businesses in the country. Several already have significant operations, and most see major opportunities. The good news is that several participants are generating meaningful profits and cash – the bad news is that this creates issues in terms of cash investment and repatriation. And, of course, India is India – there are always plenty of regulations to navigate.

Main points and concerns:

  • For those companies who are generating cash, it is a challenge to invest it. Most retain a conservative approach, which means safe investments – these typically return a rate which is below inflation.
  • Cash repatriation is not without issues. The main vehicle is dividends: these attract withholding tax (the rate varies according to the jurisdictions), and are subject to complex tax rules. Cross border pooling is not allowed, and intercompany loans are subject to central bank approval.
  • Within India, cash pooling is
Please Login or Register to access the rest of this free commentary.
If you haven't previously Logged in but receive commentaries via email, simply use your email address to change your password & Log in
Topics covered in this report: 
Investments, Hedging FX, Cash Pooling - domestic, Supply Chain Finance, Intercompany loans, HR, Payments-digital, Funding, Cash Repatriation
Service providers discussed in this report: 
Barclays, JP Morgan, Bank of America, Citi, Standard Chartered, HSBC, Deutsche Bank, BNP Paribas, MUFG, ICICI, HDFC, Kotak Mahindra Bank

Please log in, or create a free account, to read the whole report summary.

Pages