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Uday Kotak, the Founder and Managing Director of Kotak Mahindra Bank, took to the social media platform X to share his reflections on the financial sector and its role in shaping India's economic future.
In a post, Kotak outlined a Financial Sector Model that aims to propel India towards a 9per cent annual growth rate and a USD 30 trillion GDP by 2047. He posted, "My year end musings. A Financial Sector Model for India's dream: 9% annual growth, $30 trillion GDP by 2047. India is transforming from a nation of savers to investors. The tussle between the saver/ borrower and issuer/ investor model is underway....." https://twitter.com/udaykotak/status/1740559246163591238 Kotak begins by acknowledging India's transformative journey from a nation of savers to investors. He highlights the ongoing transition and the evolving dynamics between the saver/borrower and issuer/investor models in the financial landscape. Reflecting on the historical context, Kotak recounts the low confidence Indian savers had in financial assets during the early '80s, favouring gold and land. The gradual shift towards bank deposits, UTI, and LIC marked the initial steps in changing this perception. The post delves into the evolution of the Indian investor mindset, noting that investing in equities was once considered speculative in the '90s. Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) played a significant role during this period, investing in Indian companies while domestic savers remained cautious. The observation led to the inception of the private placement market (QIP) in the early 2000s, allowing FIIs to participate in Indian markets. Kotak emphasizes the growth and diversification of investment avenues, including mutual fund platforms, cash equities, derivatives markets, insurance funds, and global private equity in India. These developments, coupled with a lower tax regime for equity, have successfully transformed savers into investors. The Kotak Mahindra Bank MD offers insights into sustaining this growth story. He cautions against potential bubbles and underscores the importance of policy, regulation, education, and the supply of quality financial instruments to prevent market imbalances. Kotak stresses the need for companies to raise equity at a lower cost of capital for productive use. Addressing tax-related aspects, Kotak suggests a review of the gap between the highest marginal tax rates on debt and equity, emphasizing the significance of a balanced approach. He calls for a reconsideration of double taxation on dividends, drawing parallels between shareholders and partners in a partnership. The post outlines challenges facing the banking sector as savers transition into investors, emphasizing the need for large corporates to shift meaningfully to capital markets. Kotak envisions banks becoming distributors of corporate debt rather than storage houses, with increased penetration into mid-sized corporates, MSMEs, and consumers. Kotak concludes by highlighting the importance of avoiding a retrospective tax and regulatory regime. He emphasizes the need to balance developmental and regulatory roles and pinpoints two critical areas requiring urgent attention- acquisition financing and streamlining the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC)/National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) process. Uday Kotak emphasizes that as India aspires for growth, the financial sector will play a pivotal role, coexisting with the saver/borrower and issuer/investor models. The leader believes it is time for a holistic view of the financial sector to propel India towards its economic aspirations. (ANI)
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