Debt crunch in IL&FS may lead to consolidation in NBFC sector: Fitch

23 May 2019 Evaluate

Fitch Ratings in its latest report has stated that the debt crunch in Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (IL&FS) has adversely impacted growth of the Non-banking financial company (NBFC) sector in India and might lead to its consolidation. The report comes in the wake of the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) decision to create a ‘specialised supervisory and regulatory cadre’ to strengthen supervision over commercial banks, urban cooperative banks and NBFCs.

According to the report, NBFCs are commonly referred to as the shadow banking sector. It noted that the Indian shadow banking industry's rapid growth and dependence on short-term funding sources 'bubbled over' in 2018, most evident by the default of IL&FS in September last year. It also stated that default by IL&FS translated into higher borrowing costs and reduced market access for other non-bank financial institutions, leading to domestic regulators to re-examine liquidity norms for the sector and prod banks to increase their lending to, and asset purchases from, such entities. It believes these dynamics will weigh on growth prospects for the sector and likely lead to industry consolidation.

It also said that the debt-ridden IL&FS Group is sitting on a debt of about Rs 94,000 crore. The management of the company's board has been taken over a government-appointed directors. It added that several group companies have defaulted on the payment of interest payment on loans.

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