Equitas Small Finance Bank Ltd Q2 FY2026 Concall Summary & Transcript Notes

Source transcript PDF: https://www.stockscans.in/document/ke4muqsl62a4birsf445eljc.pdf

# 1. Financial Performance

## A. Key Figures
   *   **Net Interest Income (NII):** **₹774 Cr**
   *   **Total Net Income:** **₹998 Cr**
   *   **Profit After Tax (PAT):** **₹24 Cr** (vs. ₹22.4 Cr loss in Q1)
   *   **Net Interest Margin (NIM):** **6.29%** (vs. 7.69% YoY)
   *   **Yield on Gross Advances:** **15.73%** (-33 bps QoQ)
   *   **Capital Adequacy Ratio:** **20.74%**
   *   **Return Metrics:** **0.18%** RoA · **1.65%** RoE

## B. Revenue & NII
   *   **Yield Compression:** Overall yields faced pressure due to a lower MFI mix, though non-MFI yields demonstrated resilience by remaining stable.
   *   **Treasury Performance:** Treasury income reached **₹34 Cr** despite a volatile environment where benchmark bond yields hardened significantly.
   *   **Capital Inflows:** The bank strengthened its liquidity position with cash receipts totaling **₹72 Cr** across Series A and B funding rounds.

## C. Profitability Metrics
   *   **Earnings Recovery:** The bank returned to profitability this quarter, reversing a substantial loss in Q1, though overall returns remain compressed.
   *   **Strategic Portfolio Shift:** NIM and PPOP were adversely impacted by a deliberate reduction in high-yield microfinance exposure.

## D. Operating Leverage & Capital
   *   **Growth-Led Profitability:** Management views **20% plus** asset growth as the critical threshold to unlock operating leverage against a largely fixed cost base.
   *   **Cost Control:** Operating expenses remained flat sequentially, supported by a mid-single-digit decline in non-personnel operating costs.
   *   **Capital Position:** Capital buffers were bolstered by a **₹500 Cr** Tier 2 capital raise completed in July 2025.

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# 2. Loan Book & Asset Quality

## A. Key Figures
   *   **Gross Advances:** **₹39,123 Cr** (+9% Y-o-Y / +4% Q-o-Q)
   *   **Disbursements:** **₹5,300 Cr** Total · **₹4,700 Cr** non-MFI · **₹682 Cr** MFI (+156% Q-o-Q)
   *   **Asset Quality Metrics:** **2.82%** Gross NPA · **0.95%** Net NPA · **2.16%** Credit Cost (vs. 6.48% Q1)
   *   **Net Slippages:** **₹355 Cr** / 3.78% (vs. ₹453 Cr / 4.77% Q1)

## B. Advances Growth
   *   **Sustained Expansion:** Long-term growth remains robust with high double-digit CAGRs for both advances and deposits over a 3-year horizon.
   *   **MSME Market Share:** The bank currently commands a **0.7% share** of the **₹32 lakh crore** total banking credit exposure within the MSME segment.
   *   **Segment Drivers:** Growth is increasingly balanced, led by record non-MFI disbursements alongside a significant sequential recovery in microfinance lending.

## C. NPA & Credit Cost Trends
   *   **Improving Credit Trajectory:** Credit costs saw a sharp sequential reduction as the impact from the Karnataka portfolio subsided; management projects a medium-term stabilization between **1.5% and 1.7%**.
   *   **Slippage Outlook:** Net slippages are trending downward across both MFI and non-MFI books, with a projected return to "normalcy" by Q4 FY '26.
   *   **MFI Risk Mitigation:** Despite current elevated segment credit costs, fresh overdue flows are decelerating; worst-case annualized MFI credit costs are capped at **4%**.

## D. Provisioning Strategy
   *   **Strategic Buffer Utilization:** The bank utilized **₹58 Cr** of its additional standard asset provision to manage MFI stress, specifically targeting high-risk borrowers with multiple lenders.
   *   **Enhanced Coverage:** CGFMU protection currently covers over a quarter of the book, with expectations to reach **50%** by Q3.
   *   **Secured Loan Resilience:** Management anticipates negligible ultimate losses on secured loans, citing historical recovery rates on small business GNPA at **105% of principal**.
   *   **PCR Dynamics:** Housing finance PCR moderated to approximately **28%** following an ARC sale that removed aged NPAs; aggregate bank-level provisions remain compliant with IRAC norms despite product-level variances.

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# 3. Deposit & Funding Mix

## A. Key Figures
   *   **Total Deposits:** **₹44,094 Cr** (+11% YoY)
   *   **Retail Deposit Mix:** **75%** of total base
   *   **CASA Ratio:** **31%** (Steady YoY) · **+1%** (QoQ)
   *   **Retail Term Deposits (RTD):** **+11%** YoY

## B. CASA & NR Strategy
   *   **NR Segment Expansion:** Launched **EPIC**, a specialized NR program targeting high-potential niches like **seafarers** to drive rupee and FCNR inflows.
   *   **Funding Optimization:** Leveraging the NR proposition (SA, FCNR, and investment accounts) as a strategic lever to lower the overall cost of funds.
   *   **Institutional Deepening:** Expanding current account reach by integrating with **PFMS** and **SNA** systems, alongside active pursuit of new empanelments.

## C. Cost of Funds & Mobilization
   *   **Active Rate Management:** Executed **three distinct rate adjustments** across SA and TD portfolios during H1 to narrow the pricing gap with larger peers.
   *   **Strategic Repricing:** Implementing systematic rate reductions and a targeted mobilization strategy to support long-term credit growth and margin health.
   *   **Relationship Maturity:** Utilizing a now-complete deposit product suite to deepen customer engagement and transition toward a lower-cost liability profile.

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# 4. Segment & Product Performance

## A. Key Figures
   *   **Non-MFI Secured Book:** **₹35,730 Cr** (+17% YoY) · **₹4,700 Cr** Quarterly Disbursements (Record High)
   *   **Microfinance (MFI) Portfolio:** **₹3,392 Cr** Total Book · **98.6%** X-Bucket Resolution
   *   **Vehicle Finance:** **₹9,800 Cr** Total Book · **43%** Used Car Growth · **25%** Used CV Growth
   *   **Housing Finance:** **₹5,066 Cr** Total Book (+15% YoY)
   *   **Gold Loan Book:** **₹400 Cr** Total Value · **15%** Average Yield · **₹2.5 Lakh** Avg. Ticket Size

## B. Microfinance Recovery
   *   **Path to Normalization:** Sector-level stress has subsided to acceptable levels; management expects a return to standard profitability by **Q4 FY2026**.
   *   **Asset Quality Improvement:** Fresh overdues saw a sharp sequential decline from **₹97 Cr** in April to **₹24 Cr** in October, supported by high resolution rates.
   *   **Strategic Capping:** Despite stabilizing conditions, the bank will maintain a disciplined MFI exposure, capping the loan book share at **8% to 10%** of the total mix.
   *   **Yield Compression:** Portfolio yields softened due to interest reversals on NPAs rather than a shift in base lending rates.

## C. Secured Book & MSME Growth
   *   **Strategic Pivot:** AUM mix is intentionally shifting toward secured assets to stabilize NIMs and capitalize on a favorable cost-of-funds trajectory.
   *   **MSME Market Share:** Equitas captured a significant **5%** share of the banking sector's total NTC (New-to-Credit) MSME disbursements for FY25.
   *   **High-Growth Verticals:** Robust momentum in the secured book is led by MSE finance (+36% YoY) and Micro LAP (+39% YoY).

## D. Vehicle & Housing Finance
   *   **Used Vehicle Specialization:** Strategy focuses on older vehicle vintages (**5+ years**), which insulated October disbursements from recent GST changes.
   *   **Distribution Expansion:** Affordable Housing Finance will scale from 70 to **100 branches** in Q3, with a further **120 branches** planned for next year, primarily in Tier 2-5 locations.
   *   **Operational Efficiency:** Scaling of used car and housing products will leverage the existing branch network, keeping incremental costs limited to essential manpower.

## E. Gold Loan Expansion
   *   **Aggressive Rollout:** Following a successful pilot in liability branches with negligible GNPA, the product will expand to **50 asset branches** in H2 FY26 and **150 more** the following year.
   *   **Tiered Pricing Strategy:** Management is transitioning to a portfolio-level approach with tiered yields based on loan brackets to optimize the current cross-sell model.

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# 5. Customer & Distribution Strategy

## A. Key Figures
   *   **Elite Segment Concentration:** **60%** of total deposit book
   *   **Family Banking RV:** **₹4,000 Cr** Relationship Value · **25,000+** families
   *   **SBL Collection Efficiency:** **99.2%–99.3%** in Tamil Nadu · **~99%** in Karnataka
   *   **Digital IPO Processing:** **₹6,000 Cr** ASBA blocked funds

## B. Branch Productivity & Distribution
   *   **Niche Market Dominance:** Limited competition secured by focusing on **Tier 2 to Tier 5** locations and **New-to-Credit (NTC)** segments with high unmet demand.
   *   **Operating Leverage Strategy:** Prioritizing cross-selling over new branch capex; affordable housing is currently in only **70 branches** compared to **350–500** for small business loans.
   *   **Sales Force Optimization:** Strengthening distribution via increased frontline staffing in existing branches to capture latent market demand.

## C. Premium Segment & Relationship Deepening
   *   **Tiered Wealth Strategy:** Expanding the premium book into a three-tier model (**Elite Lite, Elite, and Elite Plus**) to capture the full spectrum of mass-affluent to HNI clients.
   *   **Fee Income Drivers:** Deepening efforts have yielded **35,000 ASBA**, **35,000 SIP**, and **20,000 broking** accounts, enhancing Average Ticket Size and total Relationship Value.

## D. Collection Efficiency & Asset Quality
   *   **Improving Credit Metrics:** Consistent reduction in 1-90 day bucket sizes and slippages, alongside rising X-bucket efficiency.
   *   **MFI Structural Shift:** Transitioned **41%** of the MFI book to a monthly repayment cycle to provide collection teams more resolution time and improve recovery outcomes.
   *   **Portfolio Resilience:** High collection efficiency maintained in the non-MFI book, particularly within core regional Small Business Loan portfolios.

## E. Digital Adoption
   *   **Mobile Ecosystem Growth:** The Equitas 2.0 app has surpassed **4 lakh downloads**, with high digital engagement evidenced by **90%** of ASBA customers utilizing the platform.

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# 6. Regulatory & Credit Risks

## A. Key Figures
   *   **MFI Industry Exposure:** **₹3.5 Lakh Cr** June 2025 (vs. **₹4.4 Lakh Cr** March 2024)
   *   **ARC Sale Value:** **₹216.46 Cr** Gross NPA sold · **₹72 Cr** Cash consideration
   *   **Provisioning:** **66.93%** PCR · **₹40 Cr** Provision reversal from ARC sale
   *   **Portfolio Concentration:** **10%** Target MFI mix · **7%** Karnataka MFI exposure

## B. Microfinance & MLAP Sector Stress
   *   **Strategic De-risking:** Management is navigating a four-quarter stress period in Karnataka by implementing a strict **1+1 lender rule** and capping indebtedness at **₹1.5 lakhs**, well below the industry standard.
   *   **Portfolio Rebalancing:** To avoid historical recovery cycles, the bank is capping its microfinance exposure at a lower structural level compared to previous cycles when the segment was double its current size.
   *   **Improving Asset Quality:** Net slippages are moderating as the flow from current to overdue buckets declines month-over-month; industry-wide restraint is shifting the focus toward lending quality over volume.

## C. Geographic & Macro Sensitivity
   *   **Regional Recovery:** Stress in the Karnataka MLAP segment is showing signs of reversal, with October achieving peak collection efficiency.
   *   **Tariff & Tax Insulation:** Asset quality remains insulated from US tariffs due to a domestic-focused "New to Credit" borrower base; revised GST rates on used CVs are expected to have a negligible **3% to 4%** price impact.

## D. ECL Transition & Balance Sheet Cleanup
   *   **ECL Readiness:** Internal assessments suggest existing NPA provisions exceed required Expected Credit Loss levels, positioning the bank favorably for a potential universal bank license application.
   *   **ARC Transaction Dynamics:** The sale of secured NPA assets (primarily SBL and Micro-LAP) allowed the bank to offload high-provisioned assets (**85.25%** coverage) and reclaim capital through provision reversals.

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# 7. Guidance & Outlook

## A. Key Figures
   *   **Advances Growth:** **15% to 16%** FY25 Target · **20%+** FY26 Target
   *   **Net Interest Margin (NIM):** **>6.5%** FY25 Exit Target · **6.5% to 7.0%** Long-term Steady State
   *   **Return on Assets (ROA):** **~1.5%** Steady-state Target
   *   **Credit Costs:** **1.5% to 1.7%** Projected Range
   *   **MFI Disbursements:** **~₹1,000 Cr** Q3 Target

## B. Growth Targets
   *   **Strategic Scaling:** Management anticipates accelerated momentum in the next fiscal year, supported by a **₹30 lakh crore** unmet credit demand in the MSME sector.
   *   **Disbursement Drivers:** Non-MFI volumes are expected to climb beyond record Q2 levels (**₹4,700 Cr**), while MFI growth is focused on core markets in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Maharashtra.
   *   **Portfolio Mix:** Potential to increase MFI exposure from **10%** up to **15%** post-industry stabilization to support margin and ROA targets.

## C. Margin & ROA Normalization
   *   **Yield Recovery:** NIM compression is expected to reverse in Q3, driven by higher MFI loan outstandings and a downward trend in the cost of funds.
   *   **Profitability Outlook:** ROA targets are underpinned by improving PPOP levels and the conclusion of a **three-to-four quarter** credit stress cycle.
   *   **Liability Management:** Strategy focuses on maintaining a cost-of-funds differential of **1% to 1.1%** as per the established roadmap.

## D. Product Rollout Timeline
   *   **NR Suite Completion:** Following recent activations of AD-1 and FCNR services, the bank will launch outward remittance and prepaid forex within **three months**.