K V Kamath, managing director of India's largest private sector bank, speaking in an interview with Reuters, declined to speak specifically about fourth-quarter results but sounded an upbeat note on future prospects.
"The growth in retail business is not showing any signs of a slowdown," Kamath said.
Asked if this growth, which had boosted the bank's performance in the year to date, would augur well for the fourth quarter ending March 31, 2003, Kamath said, "Absolutely."
He said he expected to end this fiscal year with retail accounting for 20 per cent of the overall portfolio. The year before, Kamath said, it totalled eight per cent, representing a 150 per cent rate of growth.
While that growth rate may not be possible in the coming year, he expected retail business, which grew by around $2.5 billion, to grow at least by $2.5 billion in the next year, for a growth rate of 50 to 60 per cent.