
Indian Bank expects margins to moderate in FY27 on elevated deposit costs
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.MUMBAI: Indian Bank expects steady balance-sheet growth in fiscal year 2026-27 (FY27) but warned that margins could remain under pressure as deposit costs stay elevated and funding growth lags credit demand.“The cost of deposit is not going down, that is the major concern. Credit growth has been outpacing deposit growth since the last so many quarters, so there, of course, will be some bearing on cost of deposit,” managing director and chief executive officer Binod Kumar said.The bank’s ability to cut deposit rates is constrained by the need to keep deposit mobilization in line with credit growth.
“If credit growth is strong, bulk (deposits) we are getting at a higher rate, so then there is no point in cutting rates on retail term deposits,” Kumar told Mint.As a result, net interest margin (NIM) could compress to 3.15-3.25% in FY27 from 3.24% in FY26. The outlook also reflects expectations of rising inflation and the possibility of a policy rate hike, which could keep funding costs elevated even as the bank avoids “aggressive growth”.NIM for the March quarter stood at 3.23%, down from 3.28% in the preceding quarter and 3.37% a year earlier.“We are not pursuing very aggressive growth.
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