Bandhan Bank crosses Rs 1 lakh crore loans

Bandhan Bank's loans and advances have crossed Rs 1 lakh crore at the end of March with a strong rebound in credit demand in step with steady economic recovery.The loans grew 16% year-on-year to Rs 1.01 lakh crore, the bank said in a regulatory filing.

"Now, my money is coming back. NPA is coming down. With improved recovery, we can leverage by writing back the provision which adds directly to profit. We took the pain so that we can grow the balance sheet freely," the bank's founder-cum-managing director Chandra Shekhar Ghosh had said in a recent interview to ET.

Its deposits grew 24% to Rs 96,331 crore, according to the filing to stock exchanges. .

Ujjivan Small Finance Bank, another predominantly microfinance lender, has also shown robust loan growth. It disbursed Rs 4,870 crore in the December quarter, its highest ever quarterly disbursement, while asset quality improved with 100% collection efficiency in March in step with steady economic recovery.

The bank's gross loan portfolio grew 20% year-on-year to Rs 16,543 crore. Its microfinance portfolio at Rs 10,979 crore accounted for 67% of the total loans, the bank said in a regulatory filing to stock exchanges.