For people who work in banking

Understand how a bank actually makes money.

The mental model your colleagues picked up on the job — and nobody taught you. Short, plain-English explainers of Indian banking, with real ₹ examples, joined by cause and effect.

Start here — follow the money

Five linked ideas, in order. Each one sets up the next — by the end you’ll see how a rate set in Mumbai ends up as your branch’s margin.

  1. 1RBI & the repo rateThe rate RBI charges banks to borrow overnight — the price every other rate is built on.
  2. 2Cost of fundsThe blended average rate a bank pays on all its money — its purchase price for the cash it lends out.
  3. 3Net Interest Margin (NIM)The gap between what a bank earns on loans and pays for funds, as a % of its assets — the spread engine in one number.
  4. 4Why branches push CASACASA = current + savings accounts, the cheapest money a bank can raise; branches chase it because every rupee lowers cost of funds and widens margin.
  5. 5CASA ratioThe share of a bank's deposits sitting in current and savings accounts — higher means cheaper funding and a stronger margin.

Explore by question

New here? Read in Brief for a two-minute skim, or switch to Deep on any page for the full picture with worked examples — the toggle sits at the top of every page and your choice follows you around. Or jump to the glossary.