Speaking on the sidelines of 'Banking Conclave' organised by FICCI in Kolkata, Capoor said as regulations for banks and NBFCs were different, setting up a separate institution would help in exploring new opportunities in the financial sector.
Capoor said the HDFC Bank board was yet to vet the proposal of floating a NBFC. He said the details of formation of the company were yet to be worked out.
HDFC Bank had also sought RBI approval for increasing capital market exposure from 5 per cent to 8 per cent. As per current regulations, banks were allowed to invest 5 per cent of net advances in the stock market.
Asked what percentage growth in business was the bank looking for in the current fiscal, Capoor said it would be around 30 per cent.
Capoor said HDFC Bank was going for branch expansion in the current financial year. From 467 branches at the moment, the bank would raise the number to 500.
Some of the branches would be opened in semi-urban areas. He said in the retail sector, the credit cards business and housing loan were doing well.
In the credit cards business, HDFC Bank had issued 1.5 million cards with the outstanding amount reaching Rs 800 crore (Rs 8 billion). Capoor said target amount for outstanding was Rs 1000 crore (Rs 10 billion) for the current year.
Capoor said the bank's advances to the agriculture sector would be doubled this year, adding that substantial credit would be also given to the infrastructure sector.
Asked about the possibility of merging the bank with HDFC, he said no such proposal had been received as of now. Capoor declined to comment whether the bank would access capital market for funds to meet Basel II norms on capital adequacy.