ICICI Bank Narrows Gap On HDFC Nifty Lead Arabian Post

2026-09-03 04:09:04

(MENAFN- The Arabian Post) clearfix">HDFC Bank is close to losing its position as the heaviest stock in the Nifty 50 to ICICI Bank after a sharp share-price decline narrowed the difference between the two lenders to less than half a percentage point.

HDFC Bank's weighting in the benchmark has fallen to about 9.81 per cent, compared with 9.34 per cent for ICICI Bank, leaving a gap that exceeded four percentage points at the start of 2026. Reliance Industries remains third, with a weighting slightly above 8 per cent. Separate index research based on August 31 levels also showed the HDFC-ICICI gap at its narrowest since at least January 2010.

The convergence reflects sharply different share performances. HDFC Bank has fallen about 29 per cent this year, putting the stock on course for its weakest annual performance since 2008, while ICICI Bank has gained roughly 6 per cent. The sell-off has erased more than $65 billion from HDFC Bank's value since its peak last year, reducing its market capitalisation to about $114.5 billion. ICICI Bank is valued at nearly $109 billion.

<p>Pressure on HDFC Bank intensified after Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Sashidhar Jagdishan said he would not seek another term and would leave when his current tenure ends on October 26. The bank has begun a succession process at a time when investors are already assessing the implications of an unusually unsettled period at board and senior-management level.</p><p>Jagdishan's departure follows the March resignation of part-time chairman and independent director Atanu Chakraborty, who said certain happenings and practices he had observed over two years were not consistent with his personal values and ethics. The resignation prompted questions about governance, although the Reserve Bank of India said at the time that its periodic assessments had found no material concerns regarding the bank's conduct or governance and described its financial position as satisfactory.</p>See also  Forex reserves scale new peak after dollar surge <p>HDFC Bank subsequently commissioned external law firms to examine the implications of Chakraborty's letter. The bank said in June that the review, based on records and witness interviews, did not substantiate the implications arising from the former chairman's resignation. That finding provided an important institutional counterweight to the concerns raised by the abrupt exit, but it did not prevent governance and succession issues from remaining central to investor debate.</p><p>The market impact has become increasingly visible in index composition. At the end of December 2025, HDFC Bank accounted for about 12.7 per cent of the Nifty, against 8.05 per cent for ICICI Bank. By August 31, research from Nuvama Alternative & Quantitative Research put the weights at 9.85 per cent and 9.45 per cent respectively. Reliance Industries, whose shares have also weakened this year, had fallen to about 7.8 per cent from 8.9 per cent.</p><p>Index weight matters because passive funds and exchange-traded products tracking the Nifty allocate capital according to constituent weights. A change at the top would therefore alter the relative influence of the two banks on benchmark movements, although it would not by itself change their underlying businesses. HDFC Bank remains larger by market value, while Reliance Industries remains larger than either lender.</p><p>Operationally, HDFC Bank continues to report profit growth despite the market concerns. Standalone net profit for the June quarter rose 5 per cent from a year earlier to ₹19,060 crore, while net interest income increased 6.7 per cent to ₹33,535 crore. Gross advances rose 15.4 per cent year on year and total deposits increased 14.7 per cent. Its net interest margin, however, narrowed to 3.26 per cent, while gross non-performing assets edged up to 1.17 per cent.</p>See also  TDCX expands Hyderabad footprint with second campus <p>ICICI Bank reported faster growth in the same quarter. Profit after tax increased 15.9 per cent to ₹14,805 crore, net interest income rose 12.7 per cent to ₹24,384 crore and its total loan portfolio expanded 19.6 per cent. The bank reported a 4.36 per cent net interest margin and a net non-performing asset ratio of 0.35 per cent at the end of June.</p><div class='code-block code-block-1'><h2></h2></div>

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ICICI Bank Narrows Gap On HDFC Nifty Lead Arabian Post

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