Reliance Cap eyes improved profits across businesses in FY14

Financial services arm of Anil Ambani-led Reliance Group has posted consolidated net profit of Rs 165 cr in Q3

Buoyed by a robust 65% profit growth in the third quarter, Reliance Capital expects its profitability to improve across all business segments for the entire fiscal ending next month.

The financial services arm of Anil Ambani-led Reliance Group has posted consolidated net profit of Rs 165 crore for the third quarter ended December 31, helped by good results by commercial finance and asset management businesses.

"We have grown significantly in the October-December quarter of this fiscal. The overall performance in the current fiscal would be better than that of the previous year. Our main endeavour for the current quarter and FY 2014-15 will be to sustain the growth and remain profitable," Reliance Capital CEO Sam Ghosh told PTI.

The company, which is present across a range of financial services businesses including mutual fund, insurance, brokerage and non-banking finance, recorded a consolidated net profit of Rs 812 crore in the last fiscal, 2012-13.

Ghosh said Reliance Capital recorded profits in all business segments, including mutual funds, life and general insurance, commercial and home finance and wealth management in the quarter ended December 31, 2013.

During the quarter, its revenue rose by 10% to Rs 1,889 crore on an year-on-year basis.

"Our commercial finance and asset management businesses have outperformed. In the commercial finance business, margins have improved from 4.2% to 5.6% mainly because of bringing down the ticket size of home loans where yields are better," Ghosh said.

In mortgage business, the company has moved into Tier II and Tier III centres, while its ticket size has also come down with the loan disbursements of Rs 5-10 lakh as well. Earlier, the company was concentrating on big-ticket loans of over Rs 50 lakh.

"The home loan business has grown by 8-10%, while the overall loan growth of Reliance Commercial Finance was 3-4% year-on-year," Ghosh said, adding that average ticket size has come down to Rs 28 lakh from Rs 40 lakh a year ago.

In the asset management business, Ghosh said, a shift in focus to retail debt from liquid mutual funds has helped the company post higher earnings. "In next few quarters, we should see focus back on equity side also," he added.

Reliance Capital Asset Management had average assets under management of Rs 1.02 lakh crore during the quarter and it runs the country's second biggest mutual fund house.