New Research Reports

Ujjivan Small Finance Bank (Ujjivan) is amongst the few SFBs which had been successful in scaling loan portfolio to INR 333bn by Q1FY26 from INR 75bn in FY18 with an average credit cost of ~150bps (ex-Covid).

We believe at 1.2x FY27E ABV, the risk-reward is favourable and impeccable execution of the strategy should drive stock performance. We recommend a BUY on the stock with a target price of Rs 53/share, implying an upside of 20% from the CMP.

Gross advances grew 7.8% YoY, driven by strong momentum in small business loans (+21.9% YoY), used vehicle finance (+50.2% YoY), and housing finance (+12.0% YoY). Deposits rose 18.3% YoY, though slower CASA growth (+11.3% YoY) led to a 1.8% YoY...

Spandana Sphoorty’s (SPANDANA) 1QFY26 loss stood at ~INR3.6b (vs. a loss of INR4.3b in 4QFY25). 1Q NII declined ~70% YoY to ~INR1.3b (~8% miss). Operating loss stood at INR587m (PQ: operating profit of INR251m).

We maintain our BUY recommendation on reasonable valuations.

Equitas SFB (Equitas)’s financial performance continues to be marred by elevated credit cost and a >20% QoQ decline in the high-yielding MFI portfolio.

Equitas SFB (EQUITASB) reported a net loss of INR2.24b vs our estimate of PAT of INR220m, driven by a sharp rise in provisions due to stress in MFI and changes in the provisioning policy.

Equitas continued to post dismal results, as it slipped into loss of Rs2.2bn, mainly due to persistent higher MFI/non-MFI stress and accelerated standard provisions on MFI loans (Rs1.9bn, mainly to ease provisioning in 9MFY26).

With stress in the MFI segment receding and companies strategically shifting towards secured, high-yield assets such as affordable housing and vehicle loans, both advances and deposit growth are expected to get back on track by year-end, with advances projected to grow at 19% YoY. While credit costs are anticipated to decline, the shift in portfolio mix is likely to compress NIMs in the short term, leading to a temporary impact on return metrics. However, by the end of FY27, ROA is projected to improve to approximately ~2%. We upgrade our rating to Accumulate on the stock with a revised...

Net Interest Income (NII) for Q1FY26 declined by 1.6% YoY (+7.0% QoQ) to INR 9,370 Mn, in-line with our estimates. The Net Interest Margin (NIM) for Q1FY26 increased by 10bps sequentially to 12.8%, led by decline in cost of borrowings, partially offset marginal decline in portfolio yield.

We maintain our BUY recommendation on the stock

We maintain our BUY recommendation on the stock.

CA Grameen (Grameen) continued to improve on asset quality metrics in Q1FY26: monthly PAR 15+ accretion rate fell to 0.46% in Jun’25 vs. 0.84% in Mar’25 vs. 1.34% in Nov’24 and credit cost fell for the straight third quarter with total provisions at INR 5.7bn in Q1FY26 vs INR 5.8bn in Q4FY25 vs INR 7.5bn in Q3FY25.

CreditAccess Grameen’s (CREDAG) 1QFY26 PAT stood at INR602m (vs. est. INR842m). NII declined ~2% YoY to ~INR9b (in line). PPOP fell ~8% YoY to INR6.5b (in line).

We maintain our BUY recommendation on the stock.

AU SFB reported weak core performance, with margins declining sharply by 40bps QoQ to 5.4%, although higher treasury gains and surprisingly lower nonstaff opex, amid bidding for a Universal Banking license led to a ~6% PAT beat, at Rs5.8bn/1.5% RoA.

AU Small Finance Bank (AUBANK) reported a 1QFY26 PAT of INR5.81b (5% beat; up 15% QoQ) amid robust other income and controlled opex.

Diversifying to secured segments; rebalancing unsecured book to relatively high-yield IL from MGL

declined by 10 bps compared to FY24, settling at 12.9%. Operating expenses increased by 11.0% YoY to Rs.1,108 cr. in FY25, while a decline in fee and other income led to a marginal rise in the cost-to-income ratio to 30.7%, up from 30.5% in the previous year. Despite a sharp 327.1% YoY increase in provisions due to accelerated write-offs targeting delinquent accounts, the company reported an annual profit of Rs.531.4 cr. Gross NPA and Net NPA rose sharply to 4.8% and 1.7%, respectively, from 1.2% and 0.4% in FY24, reflecting a notable deterioration across all PAR buckets. While collection efficiency remained subdued for the first three quarters of the year, it showed signs of recovery towards the end of FY25, indicating early momentum in asset quality stabilization....

Overall, FY25 has been tough owing to higher interest rates, tight liquidity, and high stress in unsecured loans. Profitability is expected to rebound from H2FY26 as headwinds recede on the margin and asset quality fronts.