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In a remarkable performance, the State Bank of India (SBI), the country’s largest public sector lender, has reported an impressive 178% surge in net profit for the first quarter of the fiscal year 2023-24 (FY24). The bank’s net profit soared to INR 16,884 crore during the April-June quarter, a significant leap from the INR 6,068 crore recorded in the corresponding period last year.
Market analysts had projected a substantial 147% increase in net profit to around INR 15,009 crore, based on a poll conducted by Moneycontrol involving three leading brokerages. The bank’s performance not only outpaced these expectations but also demonstrated its resilience and effective management of financial operations.
While SBI fell slightly short of the forecasted net interest income (NII) growth of 26.7%, registering a still commendable 24.71% increase with NII amounting to INR 38,905 crore, its net interest margin (NIM) witnessed a favorable expansion. The NIM rose from 3.02% in the previous year to 3.33%, indicative of the bank’s strategic focus on optimizing its interest-based earnings.
The domestic interest margin (IM) further strengthened, reaching an impressive 3.47% compared to the previous year’s 3.23%. Notably, in the March 2023 quarter, the bank achieved a sequential NIM of 3.6%, underscoring its sustained growth trajectory.
SBI’s prudent risk management and asset quality improvement efforts were evident in the reduction of gross non-performing assets (GNPA) ratio, which dropped from 3.91% in the preceding year to a noteworthy 2.76%. The bank also made remarkable progress in curbing net non-performing assets (NNPAs), which plummeted to 0.71% from the previous year’s 1%.
A testament to its robust customer engagement and financial services, SBI observed a commendable 12% increase in total deposits, which surged to INR 45.31 lakh crore compared to INR 40.45 lakh crore in the previous year.
SBI’s credit portfolio demonstrated a healthy growth of 13.90%, with domestic advances marking an even more impressive 15.08% growth. The bank’s proactive lending to various sectors contributed to this growth, including retail personal advances, agriculture, corporate sector, and small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Retail personal advances expanded to INR 12.04 lakh crore from INR 10.34 lakh crore, while lending to agriculture, corporate entities, and SMEs reached INR 2.64 lakh crore, INR 9.82 lakh crore, and INR 3.69 lakh crore respectively.
Provisions made by the bank in the current quarter amounted to INR 2,501 crore, reflecting a notable reduction from the INR 4,392 crore recorded in the previous year. Encouragingly, slippages for the April-June FY24 quarter dropped by a substantial 21.37%, totaling INR 7,659 crore in contrast to the INR 9,740 crore reported last year.
SBI’s impressive financial performance in the first quarter of FY24 underscores its strategic resilience, diligent risk management, and robust growth across various lending segments. The bank’s ability to surpass market expectations highlights its enduring position as a cornerstone of India’s banking sector.
