The Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (EKFEB), which is the single largest shareholder and holds 49 per cent of Development Credit Bank Ltd equity, is looking at hiking its stake in DCB, post the Government of India notification that the FDI in Indian banks can go up to 74 per cent. “The board meeting of DCB is expected to be held during this month a positive decision is expected on this front,” said H V Sheshadri, managing director & CEO of the bank. Sheshadri, who was in Bangalore to expand its branch network in the city, also announced the bank’s initiatives to be more retail focussed and upgrade its technology back-end. […]

The country's second largest lender, Punjab National Bank, is in the process of picking up a stake in a small Kazak bank, Metrokombank. PNB has been looking for acquisition in the oil-rich Central Asian state. Sources said the talks are at a very preliminary stage as several things need to be looked into, including regulatory approval. For, the minimum capital requirement for opening a bank in the country is high. The current volume of trade between India and Kazakhastan also does not warrant this kind of investment. Therefore, buying stake in a small bank is a viable option, the sources said. […]