State Bank of India’s (SBI) gold-loan portfolio has crossed the ₹1 lakh- crore mark for the first time, chairman Dinesh Khara said on Friday.
The lender, which has a 24% market share in gold loans, is bullish on growth in the segment as the asset class provides investors a safe investment option amid rising inflation.
"Last week, we crossed ₹1 lakh-crore portfolio in gold loans for the first time. In the first quarter of the current year, we have seen much better growth as compared to what we have achieved in the past. I expect that in the current year we should be in a position to grow well in this particular segment," Mr. Khara told reporters on Friday.
He said in case of inflationary conditions, gold, as an asset class, becomes more favourite.
"Normally, during such a period when gold is a preferred asset class, there is also a felt need for monetising this asset class. That's why we feel there is much opportunity for this asset class," he said.
On wealth management, Mr. Khara said the lender's Asset Under Management (AUM) in the segment is currently at ₹1 lakh crore.
Talking about the bank's retail loan portfolio, which witnessed a growth of 15% in fiscal 2022, Mr. Khara said retail continues to be an important engine.
"The way it (retail loans) has grown in the past, we expect that we should be in a position to ride on the growth potential which is available in the retail segment," he said.
However, he said there are opportunities available in the corporate, SME and in the international book as well.
The bank is in a position to cater to all kinds of growth requirements of the economy, he noted.
The bank's retail stressed loans is less than 1%, excluding MSME stressed loans.
The lender on Friday announced a host of retail banking services including a new variant of pre-approved loans and API banking for corporates and aggregators.
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