Page 4 - Anupreksha Jain

RBI holds 2 VRR auctions in a day amid strong demand for funds from banks

Central bank holds additional ₹50,000 crore VRR auction as banks face year-end liquidity pressures, with demand exceeding notified amounts due to balance sheet adjustments

Rupee posts worst fall in 12 years in FY26; bond yields rise sharply

Rupee falls 9.85% in FY26 amid foreign outflows and West Asia crisis, while bond yields rise despite rate cuts due to supply pressures and global uncertainties

March sees $30 billion drop in India's foreign exchange reserves

Forex reserves declined for a third week, led by a sharp fall in gold holdings, while forward book positions and global factors continue to exert pressure on reserve adequacy

Despite credit-guarantee scheme, banks may stay cautious on lending to MFIs

Banks are likely to remain cautious in lending to MFIs despite the credit guarantee scheme, with underwriting standards and risk assessment frameworks unchanged

Forex reserves drop $7 bn to $709.75 bn on fall in foreign currency assets

Reserves decline driven by fall in foreign currency assets, while gold holdings rise marginally; analysts expect pressure to persist amid geopolitical tensions and outflows

Banking system liquidity surplus shrinks to ₹16,875 cr, lowest since Jan 22

Liquidity surplus narrows amid advance tax outflows and GST payments, while muted demand seen in RBI's VRR auctions and short-term borrowing shifts to TREPS market

Rupee set for worst year since FY14, hits fresh low of 93.72 per dollar

Elevated oil prices, strong dollar demand trigger sharpest single-day fall in 4 years

Arohan Financial Services to file draft papers for IPO by March-end: MD

The microfinance lender is targeting an AUM of Rs 9,000 crore in FY27

NBFCs hold back on ECB plans as West Asia conflict pushes up hedging cost

The hedging cost has increased up to 75 basis points, increasing the landed cost of foreign currency borrowings for NBFCs

Higher-ticket loans drive microfinance disbursals in Oct-Dec: Equifax-SIDBI

Loans above Rs 75,000 now account for 38% of microfinance disbursals, reflecting lenders' growing preference for larger exposures to existing borrowers, says Equifax-SIDBI report

Micro lenders turn to secured loans to negate asset quality pressures

Microfinance lenders are expanding into secured products such as gold, mortgage and MSME loans as RBI's revised norms and asset quality pressures push them to diversify portfolios

India's forex reserves down $11.7 bn at $716.8 bn on drop in foreign assets

India's foreign exchange reserves fell by $11.7 billion to $716.8 billion in the week ended March 6, mainly due to a decline in foreign currency assets, RBI data showed

Banking sector to maintain strong growth over the next two years: ICRA

Profitability in the banking sector is expected to remain healthy, supported by stronger core earnings

Missing half in India's growth puzzle: Female labour participation just 42%

Over 125 million women in India with secondary or higher education are outside the labour force

Microfinance portfolio drops 7.3% to ₹3.14 trillion in Q3, says MFIN

Microfinance loan portfolio fell to Rs 3.14 trillion in Q3 FY26, down 7.3% sequentially, with 50 lakh borrowers losing access to formal finance even as portfolio quality showed improvement

NBFC-MFIs diversify beyond microfinance into LAP and housing loans

NBFC-MFIs are expanding into MSME loans, LAP and affordable housing finance as political developments, regulatory changes and sector stress push lenders to diversify beyond microfinance

Strong demand, low credit costs to keep gold-loan NBFC profits healthy

Crisil Ratings expects gold-loan NBFCs to maintain strong profitability as rising demand, better operating leverage and benign credit costs support returns over the next two fiscals

Bihar MFI Bill unlikely to hit RBI-regulated lenders, say experts

Shares of microfinance focused lenders saw sharp drop on Friday

Unlisted Gems 2026: Reliance Retail leads as top 100 firms earn ₹8.9 trn

India's top 100 unlisted firms generated Rs 8.9 trn in revenue in 2025, led by Reliance Retail, with Tata Electronics and other fast-growing firms signalling a strong pipeline of IPO-ready companies

Cash in circulation at record high despite rise in UPI use: SBI report

India's currency in circulation reached a record ₹40 trillion in January even as the cash-to-GDP ratio fell to 11%, signalling incremental GDP growth increasingly financed through digital payments