Ashok Vaswani to Quit as Kotak Bank MD & CEO in 2026

New Delhi, Jun 27 (PTI) Kotak Mahindra Bank on Saturday said its MD and CEO Ashok Vaswani will quit upon completion of three-year tenure and will not seek re-appointment when his current term ends on December 31, 2026.

Veteran banker Vaswani assumed charge as the managing director (MD) and CEO of the bank on January 1, 2024. He had worked with Barclays and Citigroup previously.

Ashok Vaswani, Managing Director & CEO of the bank, has informed the board that, for personal reasons, he does not wish to seek re-appointment upon completion of his current term on December 31, 2026, Kotak Mahindra Bank said in a regulatory filing.

"The board has, at its meeting held today, respected his decision and has initiated the process for the appointment of a new Managing Director & CEO. The process will be completed within applicable regulatory timelines," it said.


Vaswani replaced Dipak Gupta, who was the interim MD and CEO, following founder-director Uday Kotak's sudden stepping down as the head of the bank, effective September 1, 2023. This was full four months ahead of his scheduled retirement on December 31.

For the quarter ended March 2026, Kotak Mahindra Bank reported a 10 per cent rise in consolidated net profit at Rs 5,423 crore as against Rs 4,933 crore in the same period a year ago.

On a standalone basis, it reported a 13 per cent year-on-year rise in net profit at Rs 4,027 crore.

Core net interest income of the bank increased 8 per cent to Rs 7,876 crore from Rs 7,284 crore a year ago.

Net interest margin improved to 4.67 per cent from 4.54 per cent in the December quarter. However, it fell on a yearly basis, from 4.97 per cent in Q4FY25.