MFI Portfolio Declines, Bad Assets Spike In Sept

Mumbai: Microlending outstandings in the system reduced 4.3 per cent to Rs4.14 lakh crore in the September quarter as lenders adopted a cautious stance amid deteriorating asset quality, a report said on Wednesday.

Loans unpaid for 1-30 days increased to 2.1 per cent from the 1.2 per cent in June, while the ones unpaid for 31-180 days witnessed a sharper rise at 4.3 per cent as against 2.7 per cent in June, credit information company Crif High Mark said.

The microlending universe is facing multiple headwinds for the past several months, and the regulator has blamed industry practices, including multiple lending to the same borrower by different entities and charging usurious interest rates with a view to expand profits as among the problems.