Credit ratings agency, Crisil Ratings in its latest report has said that in India bank credit to the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) sector, whose current market size is estimated at around Rs 14 lakh crore, is likely to expand at 11% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) over the next two financial years. It added that this is way faster than the 7% anticipated growth in bank credit to India Inc.
The rating agency said that over the past five fiscals ending 2017, non-banking finance companies recorded a four-fold increase in their credit book to MSMEs. Consequently, their cumulative market share in MSME financing rose to 18% in fiscal 2017 from 8% five years ago. It added that this will rise to over 20% in two years. Lenders have been trying to protect their return on assets by focusing on smaller loans, where yields are higher, and on unsecured loans. For NBFCs, unsecured loans account for 20% of the MSME portfolio as of March 2017. However, the report noted that while competition has intensified and asset quality has weakened, the overall opportunity remains compelling, given the huge under-penetration of formal finance in the MSME segment. Moreover, structural changes such as the goods and services tax will increase transparency in MSME financials.
Crisil Ratings further said that asset quality of MSME loans worsened due to demand side pressure and liquidity issues after note ban. Over the course of fiscal 2017, gross non-performing assets across lenders rose by 70-100 bps. With GST compounding the challenges for MSMEs, especially the unorganised lot, the overall asset quality picture will likely deteriorate before improving. It also said the competitiveness of MSMEs would be determined by the extent of tax avoidance, their position in the value chain, labour cost arbitrage, product offering, local market knowledge and proximity to customer.
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