Corporate governance standards and practices in Indian banking Industry– A comparative research analysis

Banks are a critical component of any economy. The importance of banks to national economies is underscored by the fact that banking is virtually a universally regulated industry and that banks are brought under government safety nets. It is of crucial importance therefore that banks have strong corporate governance. SEBI introduced a new Clause 49 in the Listing Agreement in the year 2000, specifying the principles of corporate governance to be followed by the listed companies. Thereafter, SEBI incorporated various committees’ recommendations in Clause 49 and revised it seven times within a period of 2000–2005. The latest and revised Clause 49 of Listing Agreement was introduced on 29^th October 2004. The statutory and non-mandatory requirements are stipulated by the revised clause 49 of the (SEBI) Listing Agreement and also the provisions required by the Companies Act, 1956. Under the above circumstances, the present study entitled “CORPORATE GOVERNANCE STANDARDS AND PRACTICES IN INDIAN BANKING INDUSTRY – A COMPARATIVE RESEARCH ANALYSIS” has been taken up to assess the structure and processes of corporate governance followed by select banks in India and their effectiveness in terms of substance and quality of reporting of governance practices in annual reports for the year 2005–2006. It also evaluates the state of compliance of key governance parameters in the selected banks and offers suggestions to achieve better governance standards than ever before.