Specialist in Indian Banking and Economic Research

Hemindra Hazari

Pay obscene salaries to a favoured few, completely out of sync with the already inflated salary structure in the industry, silently watch as they bring the bank to near collapse – this was <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/yes-bank-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:767:1" rel="noopener">Yes Bank (YES IN)</a> ’s policy for senior management. It is not surprising that this was done under the earlier CEO, Rana Kapoor. The surprise is that the some of the grossly overpaid mismanagers were gracefully allowed to continue in their posts under the new owners, the <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/state-bank-of-india" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:160:1" rel="noopener">State Bank Of India (SBIN IN)</a>-led consortium, including prominent names in private financial capital. <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/agraashish/?originalSubdomain=in" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ashish Agarwal</a> , the current Head-Wholesale Banking and the former Chief Risk Officer (CRO), who was also in charge of corporate credit appraisal, earned a salary (including staggered bonus) of nearly Rs 72 mn in FY2018, significantly higher than peers who were managing much larger balance sheets. Agarwal, who played a critical role in appraising and approving dodgy credit, has been allowed by the new board of  <a href="https://www.yesbank.in/about-us/our-team" target="_blank" rel="noopener">directors</a> to continue (like some of his senior colleagues) on a reduced remuneration. It is shocking that the new consortium of owners, which includes <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/axis-bank-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:768:1" rel="noopener">Axis Bank Ltd (AXSB IN)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/kotak-mahindra-bank-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:126:1" rel="noopener">Kotak Mahindra Bank (KMB IN)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/housing-development-finance-corporation" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:252:1" rel="noopener">HDFC Limited (HDFC IN), </a><a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/icici-bank-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:547:1" rel="noopener">ICICI Bank Ltd (ICICIBC IN)</a><a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/housing-development-finance-corporation" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:252:1" rel="noopener"> </a> and others, continues to employ an individual with such a track record. While Rana Kapoor, the erstwhile CEO, was the main culprit, extravagantly paid individuals like Ashish Agarwal made their own contributions to the downfall of the bank by failing to raise stringent objections, complain directly to the banking regulator or resign from the bank. The attractive financial package that such individuals were rewarded with by a servile Nominations and Remuneration Committee compromised professionalism, and an incompetent/complicit Credit and Risk Management Committees failed in its oversight responsibilities.  Supposedly, the free market rewards superior performance and punishes non-performance, but this role of the free market appears to have bypassed Yes Bank and its new board of directors.

Pay obscene salaries to a favoured few, completely out of sync with the already inflated salary structure in the industry, silently watch as they bring the bank to near collapse – this was Yes Bank (YES IN) ’s policy for senior management. It is not surprising that this was done under the earlier CEO, Rana Kapoor. The surprise is that the some of the grossly overpaid mismanagers were gracefully allowed to continue in their posts under the new owners, the State Bank Of India (SBIN IN)-led consortium, including prominent names in private financial capital. Ashish Agarwal , the current Head-Wholesale Banking and the former Chief Risk Officer (CRO), who was also in charge of corporate credit appraisal, earned a salary (including staggered bonus) of nearly Rs 72 mn in FY2018, significantly higher than peers who were managing much larger balance sheets. Agarwal, who played a critical role in appraising and approving dodgy credit, has been allowed by the new board of  directors to continue (like some of his senior colleagues) on a reduced remuneration. It is shocking that the new consortium of owners, which includes Axis Bank Ltd (AXSB IN), Kotak Mahindra Bank (KMB IN), HDFC Limited (HDFC IN), ICICI Bank Ltd (ICICIBC IN)  and others, continues to employ an individual with such a track record. While Rana Kapoor, the erstwhile CEO, was the main culprit, extravagantly paid individuals like Ashish Agarwal made their own contributions to the downfall of the bank by failing to raise stringent objections, complain directly to the banking regulator or resign from the bank. The attractive financial package that such individuals were rewarded with by a servile Nominations and Remuneration Committee compromised professionalism, and an incompetent/complicit Credit and Risk Management Committees failed in its oversight responsibilities.  Supposedly, the free market rewards superior performance and punishes non-performance, but this role of the free market appears to have bypassed Yes Bank and its new board of directors.

Yes Bank’s New Owners Keep Overpaid Mismanagers in Place

Silver Point

Thomas J. Monaco

Independent Insight Provider

Silver Point is a boutique research firm that focuses on the broader financial services sector, with a particular focus on troubled institutions globally. 

Asia Ex Japan

Equity Bottom-Up

*Earnings Appear Overstated: Bajaj Finance (BAF.IN) [Bajaj] posted FY 1Q22 results of INR 10.2 bn, declining INR 3.4 bn (25.6%) linked quarter driven by weakness in Consumer Financing. The loss provision increase of INR 5.2 bn (42.2%), which - despite the growth - still did not keep up with the pace of stated NPA growth; and *Time To Man Up:  The day of reckoning is coming for Bajaj as net new NPLs amounted to INR 193 bn at FY 1Q22 – increasing at 281.3% on an annualized basis. By our calculation, reserves (much of the portfolio is weak consumer credits) need to increase INR 157 bn - representing nearly three years of PBT and over 50% of shareholder’s equity. In other words, Bajaj needs to man up and start reporting losses – this is a troubled financial institution.

*Earnings Appear Overstated: Bajaj Finance (BAF.IN) [Bajaj] posted FY 1Q22 results of INR 10.2 bn, declining INR 3.4 bn (25.6%) linked quarter driven by weakness in Consumer Financing. The loss provision increase of INR 5.2 bn (42.2%), which - despite the growth - still did not keep up with the pace of stated NPA growth; and *Time To Man Up:  The day of reckoning is coming for Bajaj as net new NPLs amounted to INR 193 bn at FY 1Q22 – increasing at 281.3% on an annualized basis. By our calculation, reserves (much of the portfolio is weak consumer credits) need to increase INR 157 bn - representing nearly three years of PBT and over 50% of shareholder’s equity. In other words, Bajaj needs to man up and start reporting losses – this is a troubled financial institution.

Head of Research, IPOs & Placements, Aequitas Research

Sumeet Singh

Head of Research, IPOs & Placements

IPOs and Placements coverage across Asia Pacific

Aequitas Research

We cover all listing across the Asia Pacific along with follow-up placements. As of Dec 2020, our team had covered 539 IPOs with a hit rate of 73.5% and 685 placements with a hit rate of 66.8%.

We combine fundamental bottom-up views with our proprietary quantitative framework to provide a holistic coverage across new listings and placements. Our coverage includes pre-IPO notes before the deal is launched, follow-up analysis once the deal is live and post-listing trading analysis as well.

Equity Capital Markets

<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/paytm-mobile-solutions-pvt-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:26149:1" rel="noopener">Paytm (PAYTM IN)</a> plans to raise around US$2.2bn via a mix of selling primary and secondary shares in its India IPO. The company is backed by <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/ant-group-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:24240:1" rel="noopener">Ant Financial Services Group (6688 HK)</a> (<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/alibaba-group-holding-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:787:1" rel="noopener">Alibaba Group (BABA US)</a>), <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/softbank-group-corp" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:315:1" rel="noopener">Softbank Group (9984 JP)</a> and counts <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/berkshire-hathaway-inc-cl-a" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:1044:1" rel="noopener">Berkshire Hathaway Inc Cl A (BRK/A US)</a> among its investors.Paytm offers payment services, commerce and cloud services, and financial services to 333m consumers and over 21m merchants, as of Mar 21. It offers consumers a wide selection of payment options on the Paytm app. It also offers merchants solutions that allow them to accept payments, acquire and retain consumers, improve their business operations and access financial services.The company clocked payment gross merchant value (GMV) of INR4tn (US$50bn) in FY21 for 114m transacting users during the year. Its users undertook a total of 7.4bn transactions in 2020. Along with its payment infrastructure, PayTM also runs a payment bank, in which it owns a 49% stake. The payment bank had a deposit base of INR52bn across 64m payment bank accounts.In this note we will talk about the positive aspects of the deal.

Paytm (PAYTM IN) plans to raise around US$2.2bn via a mix of selling primary and secondary shares in its India IPO. The company is backed by Ant Financial Services Group (6688 HK) (Alibaba Group (BABA US)), Softbank Group (9984 JP) and counts Berkshire Hathaway Inc Cl A (BRK/A US) among its investors.Paytm offers payment services, commerce and cloud services, and financial services to 333m consumers and over 21m merchants, as of Mar 21. It offers consumers a wide selection of payment options on the Paytm app. It also offers merchants solutions that allow them to accept payments, acquire and retain consumers, improve their business operations and access financial services.The company clocked payment gross merchant value (GMV) of INR4tn (US$50bn) in FY21 for 114m transacting users during the year. Its users undertook a total of 7.4bn transactions in 2020. Along with its payment infrastructure, PayTM also runs a payment bank, in which it owns a 49% stake. The payment bank had a deposit base of INR52bn across 64m payment bank accounts.In this note we will talk about the positive aspects of the deal.

Paytm (One 97) Pre-IPO - The Positives - Will Be One of India’s Largest IPOs

*Earnings Miss: HDFC Bank (HDFCB.IN) [HDFCB] released another disappointing set of results, as its FY 1Q22 bottom-line result declined another INR 4.6 bn (5.6%) to INR 77.3 bn on a linked quarter basis. The earnings disappointment came from a net interest income decline, a loss provision increase, and fee revenue weakness; and*Credit Challenged Still: We calculate that net new NPLs actually increased a whopping INR 57.6 bn or 152.8% on an annualized basis – accelerating from the INR 49.2 bn or 130.4% increase posted in FY 4Q20. By our calculation, reserves are massively short by nearly INR 316 bn or nearly an entire year of core operating results.

*Earnings Miss: HDFC Bank (HDFCB.IN) [HDFCB] released another disappointing set of results, as its FY 1Q22 bottom-line result declined another INR 4.6 bn (5.6%) to INR 77.3 bn on a linked quarter basis. The earnings disappointment came from a net interest income decline, a loss provision increase, and fee revenue weakness; and*Credit Challenged Still: We calculate that net new NPLs actually increased a whopping INR 57.6 bn or 152.8% on an annualized basis – accelerating from the INR 49.2 bn or 130.4% increase posted in FY 4Q20. By our calculation, reserves are massively short by nearly INR 316 bn or nearly an entire year of core operating results. 

HDFC Bank – Is This Really India’s Best Bank?

*Results Down, Credibility Continues To Decrease: L&amp;T Finance Holdings (LTFH.IN) [LTFH] reported FY 1Q22 bottom-line results of 1.8 bn, declining INR 890 mn (33.3%) linked quarter. Results were weaker across the board;  and  *Accelerating Negative Credit Delta: Inclusive of NCOs of INR 8.5 bn or 3.62% annualized total loans, we note that net new NPLs skyrocketed INR 12.0 bn or increasing an eye popping 106.7% on an annualized basis during the period. By our calculation, if the large blip in credit continues, LTFH  management ought to think about adding another INR 69 bn plus to the reserve. A hit this large represents over seven years of PBT or 6.3x average equity.

*Results Down, Credibility Continues To Decrease: L&amp;T Finance Holdings (LTFH.IN) [LTFH] reported FY 1Q22 bottom-line results of 1.8 bn, declining INR 890 mn (33.3%) linked quarter. Results were weaker across the board;  and  *Accelerating Negative Credit Delta: Inclusive of NCOs of INR 8.5 bn or 3.62% annualized total loans, we note that net new NPLs skyrocketed INR 12.0 bn or increasing an eye popping 106.7% on an annualized basis during the period. By our calculation, if the large blip in credit continues, LTFH  management ought to think about adding another INR 69 bn plus to the reserve. A hit this large represents over seven years of PBT or 6.3x average equity.  

L&T Finance Holdings – Struggling To Survive

India

State Bank of India provides a wide range of banking and financial services to corporate, institutional, commercial, agricultural, industrial and individual customers throughout India.  The Bank also provides international banking to its Indian customers and has operations in other countries.

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State Bank Of India (SBIN IN)

Yes Bank’s New Owners Keep Overpaid Mismanagers in Place

In Yes Bank’s fall, while Rana Kapoor was the main culprit, he was ably assisted by his handsomely paid favoured few in critical posts, some like...

Hemindra Hazari

Bajaj Finance – Just BAFfling

BAJAJ FINANCE: Bajaj posted a QOQ FY 1Q22 results decline 25.6% driven by credit weakness in Consumer. Net new NPLs increased at 281% annualized...

Thomas J. Monaco

Paytm (One 97) Pre-IPO - The Positives - Will Be One of India’s Largest IPOs

Paytm plans to raise around US$2.2bn in its India IPO. The company is backed by Ant Fin, Softbank (9984 JP) and counts Berkshire Hathaway among its...

Sumeet Singh

HDFC Bank – Is This Really India’s Best Bank?

HDFC Bank: HDFCB QOQ results declined 5.6% due to a net interest income and fee revenue along with a loss provision increase. Reserves appear...

Thomas J. Monaco

L&T Finance Holdings – Struggling To Survive

L&T Finance Holdings: LTFH reported FY 1Q22 bottom-line declined 33.3% QOQ. Results were weak across the board. LTFH's reserve is short INR 69 bn...

Thomas J. Monaco

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