BUSINESS
Moneycontrol Pro Interview | Keertana Finserv MD Padmaja Reddy points to a crisis brewing in microfinance
Reddy, who previously founded Spandana Sphoorty Financial Ltd warns that borrowers are severely over-leveraged, with more than 50 percent of borrowers having between 6 to 15 loans, with their EMIs far exceeding their household incomes
BUSINESS
What do cash usage data from the past 12 years tell us?
Indians are gradually letting go of cash for transactions, but cash is still king. The Cash Usage Indicator data shows a gradual decline in cash usage, but even then cash remains significant in the lives of Indians.
BUSINESS
Chart of the Day | Here’s how the major source of financing for Indian MSMEs changed, post pandemic
Covid presented one of the biggest challenges to small firms as funding from institutional sources dried up. However, the timely actions by the Government and the RBI by way of funding support and moratoriums on loan repayments helped these firms tide over the crisis.
BUSINESS
Unsecured loan books develop cracks. How big a worry is this for Indian lenders?
For years, banks and NBFCs were engaged in an intense rivalry to grow their loan books, perhaps forgetting the cardinal rule of lending—assessing a borrower's creditworthiness. Probably, they are having to pay a price for it now
BUSINESS
Chart of the Day | Indian banks are increasingly adopting AI in their daily operations
As per the RBI article, while both private and public-sector banks are increasingly emphasising on AI and related technologies, the pace of increase is higher for private banks
BUSINESS
October MPC minutes show there is a dove in the new batch of external members
Nagesh Kumar, the only MPC member who voted for a rate cut in the October policy, argued that a rate cut could help revive demand and help boost private investment. Kumar makes a convincing argument for a rate cut
BUSINESS
For RBI researchers, a durable alignment with inflation target is now in sight
Interest rate hikes have worked well to contain demand and inflation, says an article co-authored by deputy governor Patra in the RBI Bulletin. The RBI has hiked interest rates by 250 basis points since May 2022 to fight inflation
BUSINESS
RBI's proactive action on MFIs shows some firms failed to learn from the 2010 crisis
The RBI had given sufficient time to MFIs charging excessively high rates to revise their interest rates downwards. Some got the message; some didn’t.
BUSINESS
Chart of the Day | What do bankers think of loan demand going forward?
Bankers are bullish. This optimism could be due to the increased capex spending plans of corporations and start of a lower interest rate era that could spur consumer demand
BUSINESS
RBI’s confusing messaging on Big Tech, AI risks to banks is not helping
The RBI governor’s caution regarding the perils of excessive technology in banking isn’t new. We have heard this warning before. Does the regulator know something that we don’t?
BUSINESS
Don’t read too much into the Great Indian Rupee Melodrama
The rupee is swaying to global whims, not tanking. A gradual depreciation in the rupee's value could be part of the RBI's plan to neutralise excess capital inflows
BUSINESS
Shaktikanta Das’ warning on ‘growth at any cost’ is an eye opener for aggressive MFIs
Some NBFCs have been pushing credit to customers beyond their borrowing capacity by imposing stiff performance targets on employees
BUSINESS
Chart of the Day | A look at the link between vegetable prices and food inflation
Vegetable prices are a decisive factor in determining inflation trends at this point. There are early signs of food inflation easing but it is too early to say for sure. The MPC should be more worried about vegetable prices now than the Israel-Iran skirmish
BUSINESS
Will Iran-Israel war cause an agenda shift in the just rejigged MPC?
The MPC meet scheduled for October 7-9 will mostly likely set the ground for a rate cut two months later. The MPC is set to reverse its rate stance unless big surprises happen in the meantime
BUSINESS
Non-banks turn to money markets as funding channels dry up after RBI nudge
Even after this shift bank funding remains the biggest source. NBFCs borrow from banks to then lend to borrowers at a margin
BUSINESS
Banks have a new-found love for industries. Sign of a reviving economy?
The shift in lending patterns is indicative of critical undercurrents in the economy. Money typically flows more to segments where economic activity is strengthening
BUSINESS
Toxic work culture: How to stop product misselling in banks
We know the work culture in banks isn’t the best, but what is the solution? Here are five ways to address the problem of product misselling and toxic work culture in banks.
BUSINESS
High gold prices spur growth in loans against jewellery; is there a risk build-up here?
Gold prices have escalated in recent years and are up by 25.96 percent year-over-year. This makes the yellow metal a more valuable commodity for banks to give loans against.
BUSINESS
Chart of the Day | RBI’s pill worked well to cure NBFC exuberance in unsecured loans, show data
The RBI data shows that overall, in line with the banking sector, NBFCs too have decreased the exposure to unsecured loans following the regulatory caution
BUSINESS
Did banks do a good job of passing on RBI rate hikes? Here’s what the data show
The past two years have seen RBI increase repo rates by 250 bps. Data on transmission across bank groups show that increase in lending rates was higher in the case of private banks than among public sector banks. However, in the case of deposits, transmission was higher for PSBs
BUSINESS
What will be the impact on banks if RBI does a Fed?
An RBI rate cut could put near-term stress on banks’ margins but will augur well for asset quality
BUSINESS
Is RBI’s close scrutiny of NBFC books linked to fast growing unsecured personal loans?
There has been strong growth in unsecured personal loan disbursals in the books of NBFCs vis-à-vis banks. These are high-risk loans that could cause problems down the road
BUSINESS
Will the regulator have a rethink on the P2P lending industry?
The biggest problem with the P2P players is that time is not on their side for a course correction. Most of these companies are backed by equity investors who aren’t known for their patience.
BUSINESS
More bad news likely for PSBs from potential agri-loan stress
Recent announcements of farm loan waivers and the likelihood of more in the run-up to elections in the next 18 months could trigger the risk of loan waivers for state-owned banks
