‘Expecting 23% growth in gold loan business’

Gold loan player Muthoot Fincorp has witnessed growth in its gold loan portfolio during the pandemic. Rajesh Ravi of FE speaks to managing director Thomas John Muthoot about the company’s plans and performance. Muthoot Fincorp is part of Kerala-based Muthoot Pappachan Group.

How is the gold loan business doing? Any significant difference between the pre-COVID time and now?

The gold loan business witnessed a demand after Covid in comparison to the pre-Covid period. Non-availability of unsecured loans during the moratorium led more customers to shift to gold loans. Also it is seen that more than 65% customers take gold loans for their micro and small businesses.

What is the AUM for the group companies and gold loan division? What is your outlook for the fiscal?

AUM on a consolidated basis was Rs 22,441 crore as on March 31, 2020. We are expecting a growth of 23% for the gold loan business and would like to maintain a steady growth in the AUM for the rest of the three financing businesses.

There were reports that your group might list the gold loan company, Muthoot Fincorp? What is the current status?

The listing will take some more time. There are no immediate plans.

Muthoot Fincorp has also been raising funds from public sector banks under the partial credit guarantee scheme and the Targeted Long-Term Repo Operations (TLTRO). What is your cost of funds?

We have a good mixture of funding coming through issuance of securities, namely NCDs and CPs, and borrowings from banks as well. The blended cost would be around 10.15%, which is reasonable at this point of time.

Is there an increased demand for vehicles after the virus outbreak? What is the outlook for Muthoot Capital Services?

Sales for two-wheeler have been picking up after lockdown. Due to social distancing norms and resultant unavailability of public transport, there has been a surge in demand for owning a vehicle. The other factor pushing up two-wheeler sales is better agri seasons because of good monsoons.

Have you changed your expansion plans after the virus outbreak, or are you still looking at increasing physical presence?

We have been expanding our presence pan India, but with more focus in the north, west and east. We have few licences from the regulator to open new branches and we will be meeting our expansion targets at the earliest.

What is the road map for hospitality and power generation divisions?

The other diversified businesses within the Muthoot Pappachan Group constitute roughly 4% of total revenue. We have presence in hospitality, real estate (both commercial and housing), automotive dealerships and wind power sectors. Hospitality is the one sector that may take time to revive, but we are hoping that leisure travel would pick up faster.