Banks’ loan-book quality remains robust. According to the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI's) Financial Stability Report (December, 2024), buoyed by falling slippages, higher writeoffs, and steady credit demand, the gross non-performing asset (NPA) ratio of scheduled commercial banks fell to 2.6 per cent in September 2024, the lowest in over a decade. The net NPA ratio also declined to 0.6 per cent, aided by strong provisioning. Additionally, the special mention accounts (SMA-2) ratio, which is a lead indicator of asset quality, is also displaying low potential impairment.
The retail portfolio of banks, however, is telling a different story. While the
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