N.S. Kannan
Analyst · Mahrukh Adajania from IDFC Securities. Please go ahead
Good evening to all of you. I will talk about our performance on growth and credit quality. I will then talk about the P&L details, subsidiaries as well the capital. First on growth, the overall domestic loan growth was 10.9% on a year-on-year basis. Loan growth for the Bank was driven by retail segment. Within the retail portfolio, the mortgage and auto loan portfolios grew by 17% and 14% year-on-year respectively. Growth in the business banking and rural lending segments was 19% and 22% year-on-year respectively. Commercial vehicle and equipment loans grew by 13% year-on-year. The unsecured credit card and personal loan portfolio grew by 39% year-on-year to INR 231.80 billion and was about 5.0% of our overall loan book as of June 30, 2017. We continue to grow the unsecured credit card and personal loan portfolio, primarily driven by a focus on cross sell to our existing customers. The domestic corporate portfolio decreased by 2.8% year-on-year. We continue to focus on lending to better rated clients and work towards reducing exposures in sectors impacted by the challenging operating environment. If we exclude NPAs, restructured loans and loans to companies included in drilldown exposures, there was a growth in the domestic corporate portfolio. The SME portfolio grew by 18.4% year-on-year and constituted 4.5% of total loans as of June 30, 2017. The net advances of the overseas branches decreased by 25.0% year-on-year in rupee terms and 22.0% year-on-year in U.S. dollar terms as of June 30, 2017. Coming to the funding side: total deposits grew by 14.7% year-on-year to 4.86 trillion Rupees as of June 30, 2017. On a period end basis, current and savings account deposits grew by 24.4% year-on-year. On a daily average basis, the current and savings account deposits grew by 25.4% year-on-year in Q1 of 2018. On a daily average basis, the CASA ratio was 45.4% in Q1 of 2018. Now moving to credit quality, the NPA additions declined in Q1 of 2018 to INR 49.76 billion. The gross additions to NPAs of INR 40.97 billion in the corporate and SME segment in Q1 of 2018 included slippages of INR 14.76 billion from restructured loans; slippages of INR 3.59 billion out of loans to companies internally rated below investment grade in key sectors; and devolvement of non-fund based exposure of INR 1.24 billion relating to accounts classified as non-performing in prior periods. These three categories constituted about 48% of the corporate & SME NPA additions in Q1 of 2018. The balance slippage largely represents one account in the electronics & engineering sector. The retail portfolio had gross NPA additions of INR 8.79 billion and recoveries & upgrades of INR 3.29 billion during the first quarter. As of March 31, 2017, as we had mentioned earlier, loans aggregating INR 2.23 billion were not classified as non-performing based on the demonetization-related dispensation given by RBI. These accounts partly slipped into the non-performing category in Q1 of 2018. Excluding these loans, the additions to retail NPAs were in line with the trends in previous quarters. During the quarter, aggregate deletions from NPA due to recoveries and upgrades were INR 27.75 billion. The Bank sold one SMA-2 loan aggregating to INR 1.67 billion to an asset reconstruction company during the quarter. The Bank's net non-performing asset ratio decreased from 4.89% as of March 31, 2017 to 4.86% as of June. The net restructured loans were at INR 23.70 billion, about 0.5% of net advances, as of June 30, 2017 compared to INR 42.65 billion as of March 2017. While announcing our results for the quarter ended March 31, 2016, we had stated that there were continued uncertainties in respect of certain sectors due to the weak global economic environment, sharp downturn in the commodity cycle, gradual nature of the domestic economic recovery and high leverage. The key sectors identified in this context were power, iron & steel, mining, cement and rigs. The Bank had reported its exposure, comprising both fund based limits and non-fund based outstanding to companies in these sectors that were internally rated below investment grade across the domestic corporate, SME and international branches portfolios; and also to promoter entities internally rated below investment grade where the underlying partly relates to these sectors. The aggregate fund based limits and non-fund based outstanding to companies that were internally rated below investment grade in these sectors and promoter entities, decreased from INR 440.65 billion as of March 2016 to INR 190.39 billion as of March 31, 2017 and subsequently increased to INR 203.58 billion as of June 2017. On slide 41 of the presentation, we have provided the movement in these exposures between March 31, 2017 and June 30, 2017. There was a net increase in exposure of INR 2.59 billion. There were rating downgrades of exposures aggregating to INR 14.20 billion to below investment grade during the quarter. The downgrades were largely on account of a Supreme Court judgment with respect to an account in the power sector. Of this exposure, 5/25 refinancing had been implemented in respect of loans of about INR 7.52 billion prior to March 31, 2017, which was reflected in our disclosures on 5/25 refinancing as of March 31, 2017. Then there was a reduction of INR 3.59 billion due to classification of certain borrowers as non-performing. The Bank continues to work on balance exposures. However, it may take time for these resolutions given the challenges in the operating and recovery environment. We will continue to focus on maximizing the Bank's economic recovery and finding optimal solutions. The exposure to companies internally rated below investment grade in key sectors and promoter entities of INR 203.58 billion excludes net exposure of INR 4.55 billion to a central public sector owned undertaking engaged in gas-based power generation. This has been highlighted in the footnote on slide number 41 and 42 of the presentation. The exposure to companies internally rated below investment grade in key sectors and promoter entities of INR 203.58 billion includes non-fund based outstanding in respect of accounts in this portfolio where the fund based outstanding has been classified as non-performing. Apart from this, the non-fund based outstanding to borrowers classified as non-performing assets was INR 21.35 billion as of June 30, 2017 compared to INR 19.32 billion as of March 31, 2017. The aggregate non-fund based outstanding to companies in the restructured portfolio was INR 5.15 billion as of June 30, 2017 compared to INR 16.87 billion as of March 31, 2017. Moving on to SDR. As of June 30, 2017, the Bank had outstanding performing loans of INR 38 billion where Strategic Debt Restructuring or SDR had been implemented. In comparison, the Bank had implemented SDR for loans of INR 52 billion as of March 31, 2017. The decrease in the first quarter mainly reflects the end of the standstill period for certain cases where SDR was implemented, resulting in their classification as non-performing during the quarter. Of the SDR loans of INR 38 billion as of June 30, 2017, about INR 30 billion were loans already classified as restructured or to companies that were internally rated below investment grade in the key sectors mentioned above. In addition, SDR has been invoked and was pending implementation for standard loans of INR 7 billion as of June 30, 2017 compared to about INR 12 billion as of March. Of this INR 7 billion, INR 0.17 billion were loans already classified as restructured or to companies that were internally rated below investment grade in the key sectors mentioned above. The Bank has implemented a change in management outside of the SDR scheme for loans of about INR 55 billion. Further, the Bank is also implementing a change in management outside of the SDR scheme for loans of about INRN 1 billion. All these loans are all already part of the internally rated below investment grade exposures in the key sectors mentioned above. Moving on to 5/25 scheme, the outstanding portfolio of standard loans for which refinancing under the 5/25 scheme has been implemented, excluding exposure to a central public sector owned undertaking engaged in gas-based power generation, was about INR 27 billion as of June 30, 2017, at a similar level compared to March 31. Of the above, about INR 25 billion were loans to companies that were internally rated below investment grade in the key sectors mentioned above. As of June 30, 2017, the Bank had outstanding performing loans of INR 4 billion where the scheme for sustainable structuring of stressed assets, or S4A, had been implemented compared to INR 3 billion as of March 31. Of the S4A loans of INR 4 billion as of June, about INR 1 billion were loans already classified as restructured or to companies that were internally rated below investment grade in the key sectors mentioned above. Moving on the provisions, the provisions were INR 26.09 billion in Q1 of 2018 compared to INR 28.98 billion in the preceding quarter. The provisioning coverage ratio on non-performing loans, including cumulative technical/prudential write-offs was 55.2%. During the quarter, RBI advised the banks to initiate insolvency resolution process in respect of 12 accounts under the provisions of Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 and also required banks to make higher provisions for these accounts during the year. RBI has allowed banks to spread this additional provision over three quarters starting Q2 of 2018. The Bank as of June 30, 2017 had outstanding loans to these borrowers amounting to INR 68.89 billion. The non-fund outstanding to these borrowers were INR 3.51 billion. The Bank as of June 30, 2017, holds provision of INR 28.28 billion against these outstanding loans, which amounts to 41.04% provision coverage in respect of outstanding loans to these borrowers. The Bank is required to make an additional provision of about INR 6.47 billion over the next three quarters as advised by RBI, in addition to the provisions to be made as per the existing RBI guidelines. On April 18, 2017, RBI through its circular advised that the provisioning rates prescribed as per the prudential norms circular are the regulatory minimum and banks are encouraged to make provisions at higher rates in respect of advances to stressed sectors of the economy and had specifically highlighted the telecom sector. During fiscal 2016, the Bank had identified certain sectors, as having been adversely impacted due to the weak global environment, sharp downturn in the commodity cycle and gradual nature of domestic economic recovery. Accordingly, during the first quarter, the Bank as per its Board approved policy has made an additional general provision amounting to INR 1.60 billion on standard loans to borrowers rated below a certain rating threshold in the telecom, power, iron & steel, mining and rigs sectors, other than loans where specific provision has been made in accordance with RBI guidelines. The Bank's exposure to the telecom sector was about 1.5% of its total exposure at June 30, 2017. Now moving on to the P&L details. The net interest margin was at 3.27% in Q1 of 2018 compared to 3.57% in Q4 of 2017 and 3.16% in the corresponding first quarter of 2017. The domestic NIM was at 3.62% in Q1 of 2018 compared to 3.96% in Q4 of 2017 and 3.45% in Q1 of 2017. International margins were at 0.73% in Q1 of 2018 compared to 1.01% in Q4 of 2017 and 1.65% in Q1 of 2017. There was interest on income tax refund of INR 1.77 billion in Q1 of 2018 compared to INR 2.00 billion in Q4 of 2017 and INR 0.01 billion in Q1 of 2017. As communicated on our previous analyst call in May 2017, margins in Q4 of 2017 were positively impacted by higher collection from NPAs. During Q1 of 2018, the margins were impacted by migration of loans to MCLR linked benchmark, repricing of loans and lower yield on incremental lending. Moving on to non-interest income. The total non-interest income was INR 33.88 billion in Q1 of 2018 compared to INR 34.29 billion in Q1 of 2017. The fee income grew by 10.3% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2018 with retail fee income growth of 17.6% year-on-year. Growth in retail fees was driven by fees relating to credit cards fees and forex fees. Retail fees constituted 73% of overall fees in Q1 of 2018. Treasury recorded a profit of INR 8.58 billion in Q1 of 2018 compared to INR 7.68 billion in Q1 of 2017. Other income was INR 1.53 billion in Q1 of 2018 compared to INR 5.05 billion in Q1 of 2017. Other income was higher in Q1 of 2017 due to exchange rate gains relating to overseas operations and dividend from ICICI Life as mentioned earlier on the call. Moving on to costs. The Bank's cost-to-income ratio was at 42.3% in Q1 of 2018. Operating expenses increased by 12.5% year-on-year, compared to a 16.3% growth in fiscal 2017. The Bank added about 1,300 employees during the quarter and had 84,140 employees as of June 30, 2017. We continue to focus on productivity and cost efficiency, and would target further moderation in cost growth during the year. The Bank's standalone profit before provisions and tax was INR 51.84 billion in Q1 of 2018 compared to INR 51.12 billion in the preceding quarter and INR 52.15 billion in the corresponding quarter last year. I have already discussed the provisions for the quarter. The Bank's standalone profit after tax was INR 20.49 billion in Q1 of 2018 compared to INR 20.25 billion in the preceding quarter and INR 22.32 billion in the corresponding quarter last year. Now moving on to the subsidiaries. We have discussed the performance of domestic subsidiaries earlier on the call. So the Bank's total equity investment in ICICI Bank UK and ICICI Bank Canada has reduced from 11.0% of its net worth at March 31, 2010 to 4.0% as of June 30, 2017. Talking about ICICI Bank Canada, it had a profit after tax of 11.9 million Canadian dollars in Q1 of 2018 compared to 0.9 million Canadian dollars in Q1 of 2017. ICICI Bank Canada's total assets were 6.28 billion Canadian dollars and loans and advances were 5.53 billion Canadian Dollars as of June 30, 2017. The capital adequacy ratio of ICICI Bank Canada was 21.6% at June 30, 2017. ICICI Bank UK had a profit after tax of 2.0 million U.S. dollars in Q1 of 2018 compared to 0.5 million U.S. dollars in Q1 of 2017. ICICI Bank UK's total assets were 3.48 billion U.S. dollars as of June 30, 2017. Loans and advances were 2.36 billion U.S. dollars as of June 30, 2017. The capital adequacy ratio of ICICI Bank UK was 17.5% as of June 30, 2017. As mentioned earlier, the consolidated profit after tax was INR 26.05 billion in Q1 of 2018 compared to INR 25.16 billion in the corresponding quarter last year and INR 20.83 billion in the preceding quarter. Finally on capital, the Bank had a Tier 1 capital adequacy ratio of 14.80% and total standalone capital adequacy ratio of 17.89%, including profits for the first quarter. The Bank's consolidated Tier 1 capital adequacy ratio as a total consolidated capital adequacy ratio, including the profits for the quarter were 14.66% and 17.54% respectively. The capital ratios as we can see are significantly higher than the regulatory requirements. So to sum up, during the first quarter of 2018, we sustained our growth in retail loans. We maintained a healthy funding mix. We continued to focus on selective lending opportunities. Progressed on resolution & recovery in the corporate segment. And we continued to focus on cost efficiency and capital efficiency. The Bank's pre-provisioning earnings, capital position and value created in its subsidiaries give us the ability to absorb the impact of challenges in the operating and recovery environment for the corporate business while at the same time driving growth in identified areas of opportunity. We will now be happy to take your questions. Thank you.