History of HDFC Bank

HDFC Bank was incorporated in August 1994 after the Housing Development Finance Corporation Limited (HDFC) got approval from the RBI to set up a private sector bank. In January 1995, the bank commenced its operations as a scheduled commercial bank. In March of the same year, HDFC Bank released its IPO worth ₹500 million of 5,00,00,000 equity shares at ₹10 each share. It was listed on BSE in May 1995 and on NSE in November 1995. HDFC Bank offers several products and services to its customers across rural, urban and semi-urban regions. In April 2022, the HDFC Ltd and HDFC Bank merger was announced, which came into effect on July 1, 2023. Post the merger, the bank has a raise in the balance sheet size to ₹32 lakh crore. In comparison, the State Bank of India ranks first in balance sheet size with ₹55 lakh crore as of March 2023, and ICICI Bank ranks third with ₹16 lakh crore. Notably, HDFC Bank earned a place in the list of top 100 lenders worldwide in terms of assets. As of July 2023, HDFC Bank has over 7,895 branches and 20,462 ATMs/Cash Recycler Machines (cash deposit and withdrawal) across 3,825 cities or towns. The bank also has a global presence in four countries and three representative offices outside India in Singapore, London, and Dubai. HDFC Bank has been recognised with several awards, including the Best Bank in India from Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2022, Best Large Bank from Fortune India – Grant Thornton Bharat’s study of India’s Best Banks 2022, and in Asiamoney Best Bank Awards 2022, they are awarded with Best Corporate Bank, Best Bank for SMEs, and Best Bank for Diversity & Inclusion.

Business Segments

HDFC Bank offers various banking products and solutions to their customers. The business segments of the bank include:

• Wholesale Banking: The wholesale division of the bank caters to diverse customers, including large corporations, multinational corporations (MNCs), public sector enterprises, business banking/SMEs, etc. The bank provides a comprehensive range of financial products, such as deposits, loans, forex and derivatives, letters of credit, payments, trade finance, tax solutions, corporate cards, cash management solutions, and much more.
• Retail Banking: This segment by HDFC Bank is dedicated to providing services to a wide range of customers, including individuals, salaried and professional individuals, micro and small-sized enterprises and Non-resident Indians (NRIs). The bank offers loans, accounts, deposits, credit cards, debit cards, prepaid cards, mutual funds, insurance and much more.
• Treasury: This department by the bank plays an important role as a custodian of the bank’s cash or liquid assets. It also manages its investments in securities and various financial instruments. They offer services like Foreign exchange and derivatives transactions, trade solutions, hedging strategies solutions, etc.

Post the merger with HDFC Ltd in July 2023, HDFC Bank oversees a diversified portfolio of subsidiary companies, including two prominent publicly listed entities:

• HDFC Asset Management Company Ltd (HDFC AMC) -The Investment Manager to HDFC Mutual Fund, the largest mutual fund in India.
• HDFC Life Insurance Company Ltd - This offers long-term insurance solutions.

The other subsidiary companies include HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company Ltd, HDFC Securities Ltd, HDFC Capital Advisors Ltd and HDB Financial Services Ltd.

Key Personnel of HDFC Bank

• Sashidhar Jagdishan, MD and CEO

Sashidhar Jagdishan is the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer since October 2020. He joined HDFC Bank in 1996 and worked at various designations like Manager, Business Head - Finance, and Chief Financial Officer. Before joining HDFC Bank, he worked at Deutsche Bank AG, Mumbai. Sashidhar Jagdishan is a Chartered Accountant and holds a Master's degree from the University of Sheffield, UK.

Corporate Actions

HDFC Bank announced 2 stock splits as follows:

• Face value split (sub-division) from ₹2 to ₹1 with an ex-date of September 19, 2019, and a record date of September 20, 2019.
• Face value split from ₹10 to ₹2 with an ex-date of July 14, 2011, and a record date of July 16, 2011.

Management Outlook of HDFC Bank

• HDFC Bank aims to strengthen its digital capabilities as part of its strategic plans for sustainable growth.
• The bank projects a decline in the cost-to-income (C/I) ratio to 30% over the next 10 years.