Private sector lender RBL Bank reported a 78.6 per cent drop in its standalone net profit for the second quarter of the fiscal on the back of higher provisions and lower interest income.

For the quarter ended September 30, 2021, the bank reported standalone net profit of ₹ 30.8 crore as against ₹144.16 crore in the same period last fiscal.

Its net interest income fell by two per cent on a year on year basis to ₹915 crore in the July to September 2021 quarter from ₹932 crore a year ago.

Net interest margin was also lower at 4.06 per cent as on September 30, 2021 from 4.34 per cent a year ago.

However, other income shot up by 42 per cent to ₹593 crore for the second quarter of the fiscal from ₹418 crore in the corresponding quarter last fiscal.

Provisions jumped up by 33.6 per cent to ₹651.49 crore in the second quarter of the fiscal versus ₹487.56 crore a year ago.

Asset quality deteriorated

The bank’s gross non performing assets rose to ₹3,130.93 crore or 5.4 per cent of gross advances as on September 30, 2021 from 3.34 per cent a year ago. Net NPAs also increased to 2.14 per cent of net advances from 1.38 per cent as on September 30, 2020.

“The economic environment is bouncing back strongly as the pace of vaccination quickens in the country. Our bank is also confident of reverting to normalised levels of business, growth and profitability from the current (third) quarter itself and are on track to exit this financial year with strong profitability ratios setting us up well for 2022-23,” said Vishwavir Ahuja, Managing Director and CEO, RBL Bank.

The bank had a provision coverage ratio, excluding technical write-offs, of 61.7 per cent.

It had an exposure of ₹846.61 crore to accounts where it implemented restructuring under the Reserve Bank of India’s Resolution Framework 1.0 and ₹645.47 crore under Resolution Framework 2.0.

comment COMMENT NOW