Kotak Mahindra Bank posts 13% rise in March-quarter profit
What's the story
Kotak Mahindra Bank has reported a 13.4% year-on-year (YoY) increase in its net profit for the March quarter. The bank's net profit stood at ₹4,026.55 crore, beating Bloomberg consensus estimates of ₹3,663 crore. The growth is attributed to an 8.1% rise in the bank's net interest income (NII) to ₹7,876 crore from ₹7,284 crore last year.
Financial growth
Operating profit grew by 7% YoY
Kotak Mahindra Bank also witnessed a 7% YoY increase in its operating profit, which stood at ₹5,855 crore for the March quarter. The bank's interest income grew by 4.8% to ₹14,175 crore during this period. However, the bank's other income fell by 2.1% YoY to ₹3,116 crore during this period.
Asset management
Improvement in asset quality for Kotak Mahindra Bank
On the asset quality front, Kotak Mahindra Bank's gross non-performing assets improved to 1.20% from 1.30% in the previous quarter. Net non-performing assets also eased to 0.25% from 0.31% quarter-on-quarter (QoQ). Provisions saw a sharp decline of 36% QoQ to ₹516 crore, which further boosted the bank's bottom line for this period.
Corporate decisions
Bank's board recommends dividend of ₹0.65 per equity share
Kotak Mahindra Bank's board has recommended a dividend of ₹0.65 per equity share of face value ₹1 for FY26, subject to shareholder approval at the upcoming annual general meeting (AGM). The bank also accounted for regulatory changes after the government introduced new labor codes, recognizing an incremental provision of ₹125.75 crore for FY26 under employee costs based on actuarial estimates.
Strategic move
Kotak Mahindra Capital Company sells stake in Infina Finance
In a major development, Kotak Mahindra Bank's wholly-owned subsidiary, Kotak Mahindra Capital Company, sold a 30.99% stake in Infina Finance for ₹1,293.91 crore on March 24. The transaction resulted in a pre-tax gain of ₹367.79 crore and was classified as an exceptional item in the consolidated results. Following the sale, Infina no longer remains an associate of the bank.