Yes Bank expects retail book at 17.5% of total advances in FY 19

Yes Bank is adequately capitalised to achieve a retail book size of 17.5% of total advances for this fiscal against a current retail book size of around Rs 33,000 crore though it remains fairly risk-averse, staying away from the high-end home loan segment and consumer durables thus far. The bank aims for a retail book size of Rs 55,000 crore or 20% of total advances next fiscal year, group president and group head – branch & retail banking at Yes Bank Rajan Pental said.

The bank sees growth opportunities in the retail lending space, especially segments such as consumption, commercial and mortgages but could consider the consumer durables segment going ahead.

Pental said, “Like we have gradually built our high-end two-wheeler business, partnering with the leading manufacturers of the country, we will use a similar strategy for the consumer durables segments as well.”

As per strategy, the bank will abstain from riskier segments for the first five years, so as to ensure little strain on the portfolio for now. Going ahead, though, the bank will consider opening up some segments, offering a higher yield but with larger delinquencies, once it reached ‘critical mass’.

Yes Bank’s retail commercial and consumer business mix stands in a ratio of 65:35, which should be around 75:25 by FY2024.

Unlike in the case of public sector banks, which have been recently shifted focus from corporate assets to retail owing to the stressed asset hangover, Pental elaborated, the numbers are a part of a five-year strategy to create a long-term platform for the retail assets business, created three years ago, which currently has the capacity to take up to four times the current volume.

“PSU banks typically get more aggressive in H2 than in H1. So, we are seeing competition but still we have not seen too much of increase (in competition) from PSU banks except in the mortgage business, the home loan business, where we are not very much present. But into the other lines, I think it is business as usual,” Pental said.

Yes Bank