Finance2 min read

Fairfax will need to work on IDBI a bit

By · Published by Everything Blog

In short

IDBI Bank, a public sector bank, will need to work on improving its asset quality and profitability to maintain its strong financial performance. While the bank has made progress in cleaning up its balance sheet, its asset quality still lags that of many peers, and its profitability is higher than that of its peers. The bank will need to focus on improving asset quality while preserving profitability and sustaining earnings growth.

Key points

  • IDBI Bank will need to work on improving its asset quality and profitability.: IDBI Bank will need to work on improving its asset quality and profitability.
  • The bank's asset quality remains higher than that of many peers.: The bank's asset quality remains higher than that of many peers.
  • The bank's profitability is higher than that of its peers.: The bank's profitability is higher than that of its peers.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

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In addition, though asset quality has improved over the past few years, the gross non-performing asset ratio (GNPA) ratio remains higher than that of comparable private sector peers. On profitability front, the bank ranks above peers considering net interest margin (NIM) and return on assets (RoA). For the new management, the task therefore will be to preserve the bank's strong profitability while improving asset quality and sustaining earnings growth.

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The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, last week, approved the sale of a 60.7% stake in IDBI Bank to Canada-based Fairfax Financial' subsidiary for ₹52,878 crore. The deal has raised the prospect of a valuation re-rating for IDBI Bank, which depends on the efficiency of execution.

Improving asset quality will remain one of the bank's key priorities. While it has made significant progress in cleaning up its balance sheet, its asset quality still lags that of many peers. Its GNPA declined to 2.3% in FY26 from 3% in FY25. Federal Bank's GNPA was 1.6%, IDFC First Bank's was 1.6% and Yes Bank's was 1.3% while South Indian Bank was at 1.4% in FY26, indicating scope for IDBI Bank to further improve its asset quality.

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IDBI Bank's RoA of 2.3% was higher than that the peers as of March 2026. Federal Bank's RoA was 1.2%, South Indian Bank at 1.1%, Yes Bank at 0.9% and IDFC First Bank at 0.4%, reflecting IDBI Bank's higher profitability relative to its asset base.

With a 3.8% NIM, the bank ranks at the higher end of its peer set, trailing only IDFC First Bank's NIM of 5.9%.

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Original source: economictimes.indiatimes.com

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