The biggest challenge for financial services companies in the race to set up new banks will be to manage the shift away from their existing business models. They will also have to gain public trust and establish a strong brand identity amid stiff competition from established private as well as state-run lenders.

The BSE benchmark Sensex on Tuesday rose by 130 points to hit a fresh one-week high, extending gains for the third straight day on increased capital inflows into bluechips.

As part of its special package on India's Best Mutual Funds, Money Today asked the top fund managers of 2012-13 how they balanced investors' expectations with the schemes' objectives.

Their strong run over the last few years made them look like set for exponential growth for a long time to come. For the last few months, gold loan companies have been struggling to come to terms with the harsh market reality.

The BSE benchmark Sensex on Tuesday surged 387 points, its biggest gain in seven months, to end at 18,744.93 led by banking, auto, power and realty scrips on hopes of aggressive rate cut by RBI and likely relief on CAD front due to falling gold and oil prices.

With the company scrip getting battered following the slump in gold prices and amidst reports of RBI seeking loan value details, the largest gold loan player Muthoot Finance on Monday sought to play down the impact of this on its business, saying it will have \"minimal\" fallout.

Experts say this year will also be positive for those who invest in NBFCs due to the expected easing of regulations and fall in interest rates.

For an equity investor in search of a bargain, the best place to find stocks with potential is the 52-week low charts, at least in the present market. A look at the best stocks among those that touched their year's low in the first quarter of 2012-13.

Each of this year's winners outperformed its peers by some distance.

Gold has been on an unstoppable rise, giving stupendous returns, as investors seek refuge in it from uncertain markets. One can take advantage of the relentless rise in gold prices by investing in gold equity funds.

Muthoot Finance is today the largest lender against gold jewellery in the country. Its rise is due to two factors: its rapidly growing portfolio of gold loans and its low rate of borrower default.

Banks are discovering that serving rural and semi-urban customers, which started out as a regulatory requirement, is good business.

Gold financing company Muthoot Finance on Monday said it plans to raise about Rs 6,000 crore in the current fiscal to meet working capital requirements.

Gold finance company Muthoot Finance says its profit has more than doubled to Rs 494 crore for the financial year ended March 2011, as compared to Rs 227 crore in the previous fiscal.

Wiping out its initial gains, shares of gold finance company Muthoot Finance on Friday closed at Rs 172.60 on NSE, lower by 1.37 per cent over the issue price.

The initial public offer (IPO) of the country's largest gold financing company Muthoot Finance saw huge response from investors and got over subscribed 22.20 times till 16:00 hrs on the final day of the issue on Thursday.

The initial public offer (IPO) of the country's largest gold financing company Muthoot Finance saw huge response from investors and got over subscribed 22.20 times till 16:00 hrs on the final day of the issue on Thursday.

Mirroring a strong investorappetite, the initial public offer of country's largestgold financing company got over subscribed11.02 times on the third day of issue on Wednesday.

The IPO of Future Ventures opened on Monday, with a price band of Rs 10-11 per share for its public issue of Rs 750 crore.

Till 16:00 pm on Tuesday, the second day of the issue, the IPO was subscribed close to 0.35 times.