Muthoot’s near-100% returns impress, but rich valuation steals the bling
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. A steep 70% rally in domestic gold prices over the past year has acted like a Midas touch for gold financiers. Shares of key listed gold-loan companies Muthoot Finance Ltd and Manappuram Finance Ltd have surged nearly 94% and 68%, respectively, in the last 12 months.
The soaring value of borrowers’ gold collateral has made gold loans more attractive than other borrowing avenues, even as regulatory curbs on unsecured personal lending have prompted borrowers to turn to gold-backed credit. In the first half of FY26, Muthoot reported a 47% year-on-year (YoY) growth in its gold loan assets under management (AUM), surpassing expectations of a moderation after a 43% YoY AUM growth in FY25. Alongside rising gold prices through September 2025, Muthoot’s interest income jumped 55% YoY to ₹6,304 crore in Q2FY26.
Non-performing asset (NPA) recoveries of ₹300-400 crore in the same quarter helped reduce gross NPAs by 30 basis points sequentially. Coupled with a lower cost of funds due to monetary easing and a higher share of high-yield disbursements, profit surged 87.5% on year to ₹2,345 crore. Buoyed by these gains, Muthoot’s management has revised its FY26 gold-loan AUM growth guidance sharply upward, from 15% to 30-35%.
With banks passing on benefits from MCLR cuts, the cost of funds is expected to fall by another 15-20 bps in the coming quarters. These positive trends helped the stock hit a new 52-week high of ₹3,833 on Monday. By comparison, rival Manappuram Finance’s performance has been more subdued.
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