
Why AU Small Finance Bank's profit surge isn't just about growth
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. AU Small Finance Bank delivered a strong December quarter (Q3FY26) performance, marked by robust growth and sustained improvement in margins and asset quality. Net profit rose 19% sequentially to ₹668 crore, surpassing estimates.
A closer look shows the jump was driven largely by lower provisions as bad-debt stress continued to ease after several quarters of deterioration. In contrast, pre-provision operating profit grew a much mellower 2% quarter-on-quarter to ₹1,235 crore. Recoveries saw a seasonal uptick in secured assets.
Unsecured portfolios, led by microfinance and credit cards, showed early signs of normalization: balances were down 17% year-on-year but edged up 1% sequentially. The result was a sharp 13% sequential decline in slippages. Gross non-performing assets (NPAs) extended their quarterly fall to 2.3%.
This enabled a 31% cut in provisions, even as net NPAs held steady at 0.88%. Provisioning savings of ₹150 crore quarter-on-quarter, along with a 31-basis-point drop in credit costs, more than offset a ₹20 crore rise in operating expenses (opex) linked to new labour codes. Despite a 12% sequential increase in opex to ₹1,850 crore, the timely fall in provisions underpinned the bank’s profit growth.
Buoyed by GST 2.0-driven festival-season demand and its retail-heavy franchise, AU posted industry-beating 19% year-on-year growth in advances to ₹1.3 trillion, while net interest income rose 16% to ₹2,341 crore during Q3. A 22-basis-point sequential decline in cost of funds, aided by an improved deposit mix, lifted net interest margins to 5.7% from 5.45% in Q2. Higher fee income and stronger third-party product distribution drove 17% year-on-year growth in other income.
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