Over the last one year or so VV has become more upfront with the bank performance and future projections. At times he does not mind sticking his neck out. Perhaps the bear hammering has got to him.
VV has concentrated on restructuring and refurbishing for last 3 years and the bank’s structure has been reimagined, redesigned, expanded, restaffed and retooled with a brand new work culture. It is now looking like a formidable compounding machine but the market is still hesitant. The confidence may start coming back when the share price comes in the vicinity or crosses 60. This could entail a wait of another one or two quarters with ROE>12 and ROA>1.2.
Another point to note is how VV starts stonewalling when asked about the merger. I find it very encouraging as it shows that he prefers to delay it a bit so that the bank can get a decent deal which will reflect the immense value he and capital first have brought to the table. The bank apparently does not need any more capital this year for a 25 to 30% loan book growth. So the merger should ideally be timed for fy 24, for arriving at a fair deal for both parties. A fairly senior manager looking after 40 branches, told me in an informal chat, about 10 days back, that he is targeting 30% loan growth this year.
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