The study explores the theoretical background of Basel III and investigates the drivers of interest rate risk and credit risk of banks in various parlances, namely, pre and post the financial crisis, phases of implementation and ownership on a sample of 36 listed banks in India. The findings indicate that the high capital adequacy requirement (CAR) exhibits a positive relation with gross non-performing assets (GNPAs) and net interest margin (NIM). This is perhaps one of the major drawbacks of Basel implementation, which may become a cause of lower GDP in the future as explained in the findings of the literature.

Originality/value: This article is perhaps the first attempt of its kind to empirically examine the bank-specific, macroeconomic variables and link it with the Basel implementation in the Indian banking system for the time period 2002–2015. This study endeavours to enhance the existing empirical research in the field and give insights into the role of various factors on GNPAs and interest rates (with regards to Indian banks).