The country's second-largest lender has maintained consistency in operating profit, net profit and other key parameters over the past four quarters, and expects this trend to continue, Chandra told PTI in an interview.
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PNB has already posted a net profit of Rs 5,500 crore and is targeting further growth in operating profit, which would also support an increase in net profit, he said.
For the second quarter ended September 2026, PNB reported a 13 per cent rise in net profit to Rs 5,532 crore, driven by improved core income and a moderation in bad loans. The profit recorded was the highest ever in a quarter.
Despite treasury losses of around Rs 1,000 crore during the quarter, the bank managed to maintain growth in operating profit, he noted.
Treasury income declined by Rs 1,000 crore to Rs 753 crore in the second quarter from Rs 1,769 crore a year ago.
He highlighted the strong performance of the bank's core operating profit, which excludes treasury gains and recoveries, as a key indicator of its underlying business strength.
Core operating profit grew around 29 per cent year-on-year during the quarter, following a 32-34 per cent growth in the previous quarter, he said.
"We are already at Rs 5,500 crore, and we are aiming to grow the operating profit, despite the treasury loss of around Rs 1,000 crore in this particular quarter compared to September 2025.
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"Still, we have maintained the operating profit growth. I think just wait for a few quarters," he said, in response to a query about when the market can expect PNB to move into the Rs 6,000 crore quarterly bottomline club.
The sustained growth in core operating profit gives the bank confidence in the strength of its core business operations and its ability to maintain profitability momentum in the coming quarters, he added.
Chandra further said PNB is focusing on expanding its retail, argri and micro, small and medium enterprises (RAM) sector and corporate loan portfolios, with growth in advances across these segments supporting its overall business momentum.
The bank's retail loan book is growing at over 16 per cent, advances to the MSME segment are expanding by 19-20 per cent, and lending to the agriculture sector is rising more than 18 per cent, he said.
With the current festive season driving credit demand, he said PNB expects a further 1-2 per cent growth in its retail, agriculture, MSME and corporate loan books in the third quarter.
While corporate loan sanctions are growing at 17-18 per cent, the growth reflected in the balance sheet is lower, at around 10-11 per cent, as the bank is shedding some low-yielding corporate advances, Chandra said, adding that PNB expects to sustain this strategy in the second half of the fiscal.
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