Why is RBI Guv worried despite banks doing well? How can start-ups convince VCs to invest dry powder? Will India Inc see more earnings downgrades in FY24? What is evergreening of loans? Answers here
Indian banks are on a roll. The cumulative profit of government banks has soared 57% in FY 23 from the last fiscal to breach the one trillion-rupee mark. And the net profit of private lenders shot up by 23% YoY. The bad loan burden -- which had kept them down for nearly a decade - too has lightened. But, amid all this, the regulator is advising caution. RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das has warned banks against hiding stress and pointed to gaps in governance at certain banks. So, why is the Governor worried?
While Indian banks are on a roll, the startups, it seems, have run out of steam. Their run of bad luck -- which started in the second half of 2022 -- still continues. Funding for domestic startups fell 75% YoY in the first quarter of calendar year 2023. So why are foreign investors circumspect? And what can startups do to convince them to loosen the purse string and release the dry powder?
The shares of several new age companies, which include startups like Zomato and Paytm are, it seems, on a recovery path. They have gained 10-34% so far in 2023. Moving on, the Q4 earnings season has wrapped with no major surprises for investors. But as the outlook for some pockets, especially non-banks, remains weak, will India Inc. continue to grapple with an earnings downgrade ahead?
After the markets, let us turn our focus to the banking sector – which was the theme of our first story. Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das has cautioned banks against aggressive growth strategies and the evergreening of loans. But what exactly is this evergreening of loans? Listen to this episode of the podcast to know more.
 "TMS Ep446: Bank metrics, start-up funding, markets, evergreening of loans")
