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Cash cow to Achilles' heel: The transformation of consumer lending business

Weak demand and falling income to hit the segment

Rising income levels of consumers and their aspirational needs was the premise for lenders to ramp up this business
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Rising income levels of consumers and their aspirational needs was the premise for lenders to ramp up this business

Hamsini Karthik Mumbai
Stress in the consumer lending business, which was once a cash cow for banks and non-banking financial services, only seems to be intensifying, as statements and updates by these lenders suggest. A critical highlight in RBL Bank’s media statement regarding its business updates pertains to its credit card segment. “Acquisitions have stopped during the lockdown; only digitally sourced cards being booked,” said the private bank.

It added that credit card spends had declined 40 per cent during the lockdown, with the bank expecting a slight increase in credit cost in March. In a call hosted by UBS, HDFC Bank also