Gold loan is currently the easiest access to credit- IIFL Finance

Update on the Indian Equity Market:

On Wednesday, Nifty closed 0.9% lower at 11,203. Within NIFTY50, DRREDDY (+6.3%), TATASTEEL (+4.0%), and INDUSINDBK (+3.1%) were the top gainers, while RELIANCE (-3.9%), M&M (-2.7%) and HCLTECH (-2.5%) were the top losers. Among the sectoral indices, PHARMA (+3.1%), PSU BANK (+1.5%), andMETAL (+0.9%) gained the most.  AUTO (-1.2%), IT (-0.9%), and FIN SERVICE (-0.6%)made the most losses.

Gold loan is currently the easiest access to credit- IIFL Finance

Excerpts of an interview with Mr.Saurabh Kumar,Head- Gold Loans, IIFL Finance (IIFL)published on the Economic Times website dated 29^thJuly2020:

• In the last 1 year, gold prices have risen 50%. This is a big benefit for borrowers as they are able to borrow 50% more compared to what they could last year against the same amount of gold.
• In the past month, there has been a 25-30% growth in gold loan business.
• IIFL is now at pre-covid levels in terms of gold loan disbursements.
• There is a lot of demand for gold loans from farmers and SMEs. There is a pickup in agricultural activities leading to capital requirement for farmers. As businesses try to unlock, they are also trying to bridge working capital gaps.
• There is approximately 24,000 tonnes of gold in India and gold is saved for a rainy day. Out of the entire gold, only 5-6% is leveraged against gold loans. The current situation brought on by covid-19 is the kind of rainy day when people need to leverage gold to survive, or take control of opportunities in the current context. Thus the opportunity for gold loans is huge.
• Primary customers of gold loans are farmers and SMEs across sectors. All of them need working capital at this point in time. Gold is the easiest access to credit currently. It requires minimal paperwork. A person can walk into an NBFC branch like IIFL and pledge theirjewelry and walk out with a loan in 30 minutes.
• Gold loan is typically for a tenure of about six to nine months. Farmers and SME customers get flexibility to repay unlike overdraft products or a term loan where there is a fixed duration and there are prepayment charges, penalties etc.
• Borrowers usually repay a gold loan by making a payment once in two/three months or the moment they have cash inflows. During March to May, IIFL had given moratorium to the customers which led to slower repayments. As businesses are unlocking, a lot of repayments are happening. Borrowers are opting out of moratorium and making payments. As the businesses start operating, IIFL Finance expects to see near normal levels in July and August.

Consensus Estimate: (Source: investing.com website)

• The reported BVPS as of 1QFY21 was Rs 126.8/-
• The closing price of IIFL was₹ 71.2 /- as of 29-July-2020 and was trading at 0.6x the 1QFY21 BVPS.
• Consensus estimates are not available for IIFL.

Disclaimer: “The views expressed are for information purposes only. The information provided herein should not be considered as investment advice or research recommendation. The users should rely on their own research and analysis and should consult their own investment advisors to determine the merit, risks, and suitability of the information provided.”