Banks may add Rs 2.6 lakh cr worth NPAs to existing pile by FY19-end: Fitch

It estimates that banks were already sitting on unrecognised stressed loans worth Rs 7.7 lakh cr

Indian banks could potentially add as much as Rs 2.6 lakh crore ($40.58 billion) worth of soured loans by March 2019 to their existing pile, India Ratings and Research said on Wednesday.

The rating agency, an affiliate of Fitch, said it estimated banks were sitting on unrecognised stressed loans worth Rs 7.7 lakh crore.

"While a sizeable proportion of the unrecognised stressed exposure has strong group linkage or some form of parental support, potentially half of it could further slip in the next 12-18 months," India Ratings analysts led by Udit Kariwala wrote in a note.

As of end-December, banks in India had stressed loans of Rs 9.64 lakh crore, according to government data.