Is Indian sec-lending appeal on the rise?

India has become one of Asia’s most attractive markets for securities lending on the back of regulatory liberalisation and demand-supply dynamics, say regional business managers at Citi. The US bank became the first foreign custodian to offer sec-lending services in the country this month, and last week signed its first offshore broker as a borrower of Indian securities (it declines to reveal a name). Sec-lending in India has picked up since 2010, notes Citi, and hit $100 millio…