Axis Bank looks beyond loans to win corporate wallets

Mumbai: Axis Bank is expanding its corporate banking services beyond traditional lending, focusing on generating fee income and low-cost deposits from corporate ecosystems, according to its wholesale banking head Vijay Mulbagal. In an exclusive interview, Mulbagal revealed that the bank is targeting a broader range of corporate activities, such as collection, payments, trade finance, taxes, and salary accounts, in addition to offering investment-banking and wealth-management services.

Mulbagal emphasized that every corporation presents an opportunity to cater to not only the company's needs but also its entire ecosystem, including dealers, suppliers, employees, buyers, and sellers, both domestically and internationally. He explained that a corporate wallet is far more diverse compared to an individual's wallet, and Axis Bank is leveraging its corporate salary franchise, investment-banking arm, and wealth-management platform to strengthen relationships within corporate groups.

The bank is also exploring supply-chain opportunities through factoring, dealer financing, and supplier financing. As corporations' cash flows increasingly pass through Axis Bank, the lender anticipates building its liability franchise, earning transaction fees, and generating floating balances. Mulbagal clarified that while credit growth contributes to the bank's liability base, the primary focus is on expanding the fee franchise rather than solely competing on interest rates to acquire corporate loans.