



Despite RBI’s latest repo cut, private banks see margins holding up in Q4
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Private sector banks are signalling that net interest margins (NIMs) are likely to remain resilient in the March quarter, even as the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI's) 25 basis point (bps) repo rate cut last month begins to transmit more fully into lending rates.
Management commentary from the December quarter earnings season of major private banks suggests that margins will be cushioned by factors such as a lag in deposit repricing, a higher share of low-cost current account savings account (Casa) funds, and more selective lending. HDFC Bank, which saw its NIM on total assets expand by 8 bps on quarter to 3.35% in the three months ended December, indicated that the full impact of the latest rate cut is yet to be felt completely.
The first 100 bps of repo rate cuts have been factored in, but the most recent 25 bps reduction is still working its way through the system, chief financial officer Srinivasan Vaidyanathan said in the post-earnings call on Saturday. “….some of that (25 bps rate cut) is factored in the December quarter, and some of that, between one to three months, will start to flow in at the repricing cycle.
So, some will come," he said. He said that a decline in the cost of funds of about 10-11 bps supported margins, outlining three key drivers of margins going forward: cost of funds, Casa trends, and borrowings.
ICICI Bank struck a cautious but steady tone, with executive director Sandeep Batra saying on Saturday that the private sector lender expects NIMs to remain more or less range-bound, given the repricing of external benchmark loans and investments, as well as competitive intensity. India’s second largest private sector lender reported NIM of 4.3% in Q3 of FY26,
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