<p>"It should fit into our environment, public sector culture, business, our clintele... if that kind of opportunity (for foreign acquisition) is there we will see," SBI Chairman O P Bhatt told PTI.<br /><br />"If some good (overseas) opportunity is there we may look at it seriously," he said.<br />Bhatt also said that the bank itself has a huge international <br />network, and added that its global operations contribute about 14 per cent to the top line at the moment.<br /><br />During 2008-09, the SBI's international credit portfolio increased by 54 per cent to Rs 86,267 crore, against Rs 56,196 crore in the previous year.<br />At the end of March 2009, SBI had a network of 92 offshore offices spread over 32 countries covering all time zones.<br />The 92 offices comprised 37 branches, five sub-offices, 8 representative offices, 35 branches of subsidiaries, three managed exchange companies and four joint ventures.<br /><br />The bank along with its subsidiaries and joint ventures abroad, had opened nine outlets, including full-fledged retail operations, in Singapore last fiscal.<br />Three new branches and seven ATMs were also set up to boost <br />retail operations in Singapore.<br /><br />One branch and a sub-office were added to its network in Male and a representative office in Tianjin in China was operationalised.<br /><br />Besides, SBI California, the bank's wholly-owned arm in the US, opened its seventh branch in the country at Bakersfield. PT Bank Indomonex, a partly-owned subsidiary in Indonesia, also opened two branches during last year.<br />As far as domestic expansion is concerned, Bhatt said, the bank plans to open another 1,000 branches in 2010-11. Of these 1,000 branches, 600 would be opened in rural and semi- urban areas.<br /><br />At present, the public sector lender has 12,448 branches and over 21,000 ATMs. By the end of March, 2010, it aims to scale up the number of ATMs to 25,000.</p>
<p>"It should fit into our environment, public sector culture, business, our clintele... if that kind of opportunity (for foreign acquisition) is there we will see," SBI Chairman O P Bhatt told PTI.<br /><br />"If some good (overseas) opportunity is there we may look at it seriously," he said.<br />Bhatt also said that the bank itself has a huge international <br />network, and added that its global operations contribute about 14 per cent to the top line at the moment.<br /><br />During 2008-09, the SBI's international credit portfolio increased by 54 per cent to Rs 86,267 crore, against Rs 56,196 crore in the previous year.<br />At the end of March 2009, SBI had a network of 92 offshore offices spread over 32 countries covering all time zones.<br />The 92 offices comprised 37 branches, five sub-offices, 8 representative offices, 35 branches of subsidiaries, three managed exchange companies and four joint ventures.<br /><br />The bank along with its subsidiaries and joint ventures abroad, had opened nine outlets, including full-fledged retail operations, in Singapore last fiscal.<br />Three new branches and seven ATMs were also set up to boost <br />retail operations in Singapore.<br /><br />One branch and a sub-office were added to its network in Male and a representative office in Tianjin in China was operationalised.<br /><br />Besides, SBI California, the bank's wholly-owned arm in the US, opened its seventh branch in the country at Bakersfield. PT Bank Indomonex, a partly-owned subsidiary in Indonesia, also opened two branches during last year.<br />As far as domestic expansion is concerned, Bhatt said, the bank plans to open another 1,000 branches in 2010-11. Of these 1,000 branches, 600 would be opened in rural and semi- urban areas.<br /><br />At present, the public sector lender has 12,448 branches and over 21,000 ATMs. By the end of March, 2010, it aims to scale up the number of ATMs to 25,000.</p>