Monday, 12 December 2016

'False and malafide' rumours add to Axis Bank's woes -The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions

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12 December 2016

The reputation of Axis Bank, the third largest private sector lender in India, has been receiving a daily battering on account of the large number of seizures of new currency due to the complicity of its managers. However, things have gone beyond a loss of reputation with a local newspaper speculating that it faced regulatory action and a "possible revoking of its licence".  Axis Bank officials have slammed the report as 'false and malafide'.  However, social media seems to be amplifying the report. Fortunately, for the banks, the three-day holiday has given it an opportunity to initiate corrective action and inform the public before Tuesday. The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions 

Further, in a regulatory filing, Axis Bank says, "...we strongly deny the contents of the said article and we reiterate that the Bank has strong systems and controls as per the norms prescribed by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). We firmly believe that the said news is intended to spread panic amongst the general public, demoralise the staff and damage the reputation of the Bank."

The statement by Axis Bank was in response to a report on Saturday in local Hindi daily Dopahar that suggested the lender could lose its licence over alleged money laundering activities involving the suspended employees. The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions

Meanwhile according to a report from the Economic Times, the Bank has "temporarily suspended the accounts of some bullion dealers as part of 'enhanced due diligence' to stamp out any attempt to legalise unaccounted wealth following the demonetisation announced on 8th November".

Stung by accusations that its employees have been involved in laundering black money, the lender had suspended about 19 employees over alleged breach at one of its branches. Last week, the Income Tax Department unearthed 44 fake accounts during a raid at the Axis Bank branch in central Delhi, where it is alleged that about Rs100 crore were deposited in these accounts after the demonetisation announcement on 8 November 2016. The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions  

On Monday, Axis Bank closed 2.6% down at Rs444 on BSE, while the 30-share Sensex ended the day marginally down at 26,515. The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions


Seperately, the RBI has clarified that it had not initiated any action against Axis Bank for cancellation of its license, as held by some media reports, in wake of some officials found to be involved in violative activities post-demonetisation. The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions

"The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has not initiated any action to cancel the banking licence of Axis Bank in the wake of certain allegations about some serious irregularities in transactions relating to deposit/exchange of specified bank notes in a few branches of the bank," the central bank said in a statement.The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions

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