Archive · 29 Aug 2026
Jagdishan’s HDFC Bank Tenure Ends After Merger, Scrutiny
Sashidhar Jagdishan became the head of HDFC Bank in 2020.
His early years were difficult because the bank’s online and payment systems had repeated problems.
The Reserve Bank of India temporarily restricted some of the bank’s digital and credit-card activities.
The bank later fixed the issues and the restrictions were removed.
In 2023, HDFC Bank merged with a large housing-finance company called HDFC Ltd.
This made the bank much bigger but also created challenges in managing loans and deposits.
Near the end of Jagdishan’s tenure, questions were raised about the bank’s governance.
The bank’s reviews did not substantiate the former chairman’s broad concerns, but senior executives, including Jagdishan, were penalized over another deposit-related matter.
Jagdishan will leave the bank in October 2026, and the bank is accelerating its search for a successor.
Sashidhar Jagdishan will retire as HDFC Bank CEO on October 26, 2026, after deciding not to seek another term.
His tenure began amid Reserve Bank of India restrictions following repeated outages in HDFC Bank’s digital and payment systems.
The 2023 merger with Housing Development Finance Corporation significantly expanded HDFC Bank’s mortgage business and balance sheet.
After the merger, the bank focused on deposit growth and reduced its credit-deposit ratio from about 110% to 96% by March 2025.
Governance scrutiny followed Atanu Chakraborty’s resignation and a separate review that resulted in penalties for Jagdishan and two executives.
- Who
- Sashidhar Jagdishan, HDFC Bank, former chairman Atanu Chakraborty, and other senior bank executives.
- What
- Jagdishan decided not to seek another term as HDFC Bank’s chief executive and will retire, ending a tenure defined by technology repairs, the HDFC merger, and governance scrutiny.
- When
- He will retire at the close of business on October 26, 2026; the decision was disclosed on August 29, 2026.
- Where
- At HDFC Bank in India.
- Why
- Jagdishan’s stated decision was not to seek another term; the articles do not provide a reason for that decision. The bank’s governance scrutiny arose from Chakraborty’s resignation and a separate deposit-arrangement review.
HDFC Bank’s findings
Atanu Chakraborty’s position
Meaning of Chakraborty’s resignation
HDFC Bank’s findings
HDFC Bank’s external law-firm review said Chakraborty’s statement and its implications were not substantiated by the records and interviews examined.
Atanu Chakraborty’s position
Chakraborty said certain practices he observed were inconsistent with his personal values and ethics, and maintained that his resignation reflected his own assessment.
Scope and usefulness of the review
HDFC Bank’s findings
The bank said the review examined board and committee records, communications, and interviews with directors, Jagdishan, and senior management.
Atanu Chakraborty’s position
Chakraborty questioned the review’s scope and legal basis and said he ultimately did not participate in it.
Deposit arrangements
HDFC Bank’s findings
The disciplinary committee found no conclusive evidence of mala fide action, personal enrichment, or improper motive, while classifying the employees’ conduct as business overreach.
Atanu Chakraborty’s position
The matter raised questions about whether the arrangements complied fully with Reserve Bank of India directions on deposit pricing, leading to individual penalties for senior executives.
- CEO tenure
- Jagdishan became HDFC Bank CEO on October 27, 2020.
- Retirement date
- October 26, 2026, at the close of business.
- Technology restrictions
- The Reserve Bank of India restricted new digital business activities and temporarily stopped new credit-card sourcing in December 2020; the restrictions were removed by March 2022.
- HDFC merger
- The merger with Housing Development Finance Corporation became effective on July 1, 2023.
- Credit-deposit ratio
- The ratio declined from about 110% at the merger to about 96% by March 2025, according to Jagdishan.
- Governance review
- An external review found no evidence substantiating Chakraborty’s broad concerns, according to HDFC Bank.
- Penalties
- A special disciplinary committee found business overreach in a deposit-mobilisation matter and imposed Rs 1 lakh penalties on Jagdishan, CFO Srinivasan Vaidyanathan, and another senior executive.