Strengths: * Diversified retail lending portfolio with an extensive branch network The IIFL Finance group, having consolidated assets under management (AUM) of Rs 40,843 crore as on September 30, 2020 (Rs 37,951 crore as on March 31, 2020; Rs 34,904 crore as on March 31, 2019), is primarily engaged in secured lending across various retail asset classes. IIFL Finance has two lending subsidiaries, IIFL Home and Samasta, which carry out the mortgage finance and microfinance businesses, respectively. Retail loans accounted for almost 89% of the AUM as on September 30, 2020, with a high level of granularity (loans with ticket size below Rs 1 crore). Also, more than 40% of the portfolio qualifies under priority sector lending. The group had identified four key segments - home loans, business loans (including loan against property {LAP} and lending to MSME), gold loans and microfinance, as key growth drivers over the medium term. These four segments form around 87% of the AUM as on September 30, 2020, up from 61% as on March 31, 2016. The group also operates in two synergistic segments - construction & developer funding and capital market lending. While incremental developer funding will be done on a selective basis to support the home loan business, capital market lending will largely focus on the retail clients of IIFL Securities. In line with the strategy to focus on select segments, the group discontinued medical equipment financing from fiscal 2018, and also sold its commercial vehicle (CV) finance portfolio in fiscal 2019. As of September 30, 2020, the IIFL Finance group had a wide network of 2,383 branches spread across 25 states. The group has invested substantially in technology to effectively benefit from its geographical reach. Going forward, the group plans to leverage business synergies with other IIFL entities for cross-selling of financial products (such as insurance and mutual funds) and retail loan products, given the already established branch and distribution platform. On a standalone level, IIFL Finance had an AUM of Rs 18,208 crore as on September 30, 2020 (Rs 16,057 crore as on March 31, 2020) primarily towards gold loans (63%), business loans (14%) and developer and construction finance (19%). IIFL Home had an AUM of Rs 19151 crore as on September 30, 2020 (Rs 18,495 crore as on March 31, 2020) largely toward home loans (67%), followed by LAP (27%) and construction finance (6%). Samasta had an AUM of Rs 3,484 crore as on September 30, 2020 (Rs 3,400 crore as on March 31, 2020). * Adequate capitalisation The IIFL Finance group is adequately capitalised, with a consolidated networth of around Rs 5,000 crore as on September 30, 2020 (Rs 4,766 crore as on March 31, 2020). Networth coverage for net non-performing assets (NPAs) was comfortable at around 22 times as on September 30, 2020 (17 times as on March 31, 2020). On-book gearing as on same date was adequate at around 5.2 times; however, CRISIL'adjusted gearing (on-book borrowings + securitization/assignment) was higher at around 7.9 times. Nevertheless, the group has demonstrated its ability to raise capital from long-term marquee investors such as Fairfax and the CDC group (Rs 1000 crore raised from CDC in fiscal 2017). Given the modest growth plans, capitalisation should remain adequate for the current scale of operations. However, the ability to raise capital and manage leverage levels over the medium term will be an important factor. As on September 30, 2020, IIFL Finance (standalone) had a net worth and CRISIL- adjusted gearing stood at Rs 3,661 crore and 4.9 times, respectively. It had a Tier-I capital adequacy ratio (CAR) and overall CAR of 15.0% and 18.7%, respectively, as on same date. Networth coverage for net NPAs was around 49 times. As on September 30, 2020, IIFL Home had a networth and CRISIL- adjusted gearing of Rs 1,945 crore and 9.8 times, respectively. Its Tier-I and overall CAR stood at 19.4% and 24.3%, respectively, as on same date. Networth coverage for net NPAs was around 13 times. As on September 30, 2020, Samasta's net worth and CRISIL-adjusted gearing stood at Rs 542 crore and 6.3 times, respectively. Tier-I and overall CAR were 19.5% and 23.9%, respectively. Weakness: * Limited seasoning of some of the asset classes like home loans and MSME loans IIFL Finance group's loan portfolio (excluding CV finance) has recorded a three-year compound annual growth rate of around 25%. Given the scale up of the loan book in recent years and entry into newer segments, the portfolio remains unseasoned and hence, overall asset quality is yet to be tested through cycles. While certain products have a shorter tenure, and hence, have seen a complete cycle, home loans and MSME lending have limited seasoning so far. Home loans are long tenure products and MSME lending is a recent addition to the product suite. Reported gross NPAs and net NPAs stood at 1.81% and 0.77%, respectively, as on September 30, 2020 (2.31% and 0.97%, respectively, as on March 31, 2020). While increasing focus on small-ticket retail loans will benefit the inherent asset quality over the medium term, ability to underwrite and maintain strong credit practices across asset classes, amid stiff competition from established players, remains to be seen. NPAs in the wholesale book declined, supported partly by write-offs, to 2.6% as on September 30, 2020, from 3.8% as on March 31, 2020, but remained high. Nevertheless, the share of wholesale lending has come down over the past few years (11% of the overall AUM as on September 30, 2020). Nevertheless, given the current macro environment, asset quality on exposures such as developer loans and large ticket LAP would be a key monitorable for all lenders, including IIFL Finance. Borrowers of such loan categories are more sensitive to an environment of prolonged liquidity tightness. RBIs measure on extension of date of commencement of commercial operations (DCCO) for commercial real estate projects should provide some respite. While retail asset quality has remained under control in the past, it could witness an increase in delinquencies across segments due to the economic slowdown. The current weak macro-environment has affected the income generation ability and saving of borrowers, especially of the self-employed and micro finance borrower, who typically have a weaker credit profile. In this context, credit costs are expected to increase in the near term. Gross NPA of IIFL Finance (standalone), IIFL Home and Samasta stood at 2.0%, 1.6% and 1.8%, respectively, as on September 30, 2020 (3.1%, 1.6% and 1.5%, respectively, as on March 31, 2020). Any sharp deterioration in asset quality, will also impact profitability and capital, and remains a key rating monitorable. |