Finance2 min read

Bandhan Bank faces ₹200 crore insurance hit

By · Published by Everything Blog

In short

The regulatory proposal to alter third-party product rules threatens bank fees, prompting industry-wide discussions with the insurance authority. To make up for the projected shortfall, Bandhan Bank plans to pivot its distribution focus toward mutual funds and broaden its overall suite of offerings. Third-party product sales delivered ₹156 crore in the second quarter, largely driven by insurance policies. Additionally, management confirmed that drought-related exposure in Karnataka and Maharashtra remains too small to cause material disruption.

Key points

  • Proposed insurance distribution reforms by the regulator will broadly compress commission…: Proposed insurance distribution reforms by the regulator will broadly compress commission income across the banking industry.
  • Bandhan Bank aims to cushion fee losses by shifting its sales focus toward mutual fund di…: Bandhan Bank aims to cushion fee losses by shifting its sales focus toward mutual fund distribution.
  • Credit risks stemming from drought conditions in key states remain manageable due to mini…: Credit risks stemming from drought conditions in key states remain manageable due to minimal portfolio exposure.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

"The proposal will affect the entire banking industry as Bandhan Bank is not isolated," managing director Partha Pratim Sengupta said, responding to media queries after announcing the quarterly earnings.

He said that the bank is making changes in the business model and will shift focus on mutual fund distribution. "We have several levers to mitigate the loss. We

are introducing new areas in our product suit," he said.

The Insurance Regulatory & Development Authority proposed a change in third-party product distribution which would lower commission income for banks. Banks have reached out to IRDA on this.

The Kolkata-based lender netted Rs 156 crore from distributing third-party products in the second quarter with a majority of its coming from insurance sales.

Separately, on the drought in Karnataka and Maharashtra, Sengupta said that the risk is manageable as the bank has negligible exposure in these two states. About 1% of its unsecured emerging enterprise business comes from Karnataka and 2.6% from Maharashtra. "There is no substantial impact likely," the MD said.

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Original source: economictimes.indiatimes.com

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