Kochi: HDFC Bank, which on Thursday opened its 150th branch in Kerala, wants to take the branch distribution to 200 in the state in 12-24 months, a top bank official said on Thursday.
Speaking after opening the 150th branch at Kakkanad- Seaport-Airport Road here, Branch Banking Head Dhiraj Relli spoke about the growth of the bank in Kerala and said its Credit Deposit Ratio is over 112 per cent in the state.
To a question on "emerging scenario" in terms of business opportunities in the banking sector in India, he said: "I think with a stable government things are looking up across India. We are very bullish."
The latest branch was inaugurated by Vice Chairman and MD SFO technologies N Jehangir along with Relli in the presence of HDFC Bank Zonal Head S S Jayasankar, HDFC Bank Circle Head Hemy Sebastian and other senior bank officials.
"In Kerala, we are looking forward to extending our branch network to 200 branches in 12 to 24 months. From the current level of 150 branches, we want to take the branch distribution to 200 branches," Relli told reporters here.
Noting that nearly 70 per cent of the branch networks are in semi-urban and rural areas, Relli said "We have over one million customers in the state and are focusing on all possible segments... Agriculture segment, SME segment, individual customers...."
"We are also reaching out to customers and providing them all possible lending facilities," he said.
Relli said that as a bank, HDFC is committed to grow and ensure that they reach out to every nook and corner of Kerala and empower people and enable them to do formal banking.
Speaking at the launch, Jayasankar said: "The journey to reach the 150th branch milestone in Kerala has been extremely fulfilling, right since the launch of our first branch in the state in 1997".
Bank officials said at the national level, HDFC Bank has 56 per cent of its branches in semi-urban and rural areas and is continuously extending its reach in the hinterland in its endeavour to support inclusive growth.
