Demand for bank loans rises amid hardening yields

Canara Bank and Indian Bank have a combined pipeline of corporate loans worth ₹1.10 lakh crore, indicating strong credit demand from Indian companies as bond yields have increased. Indian yields have reached their highest level in over three years, mirroring the rise in US bond yields. Indian Bank's pipeline amounts to ₹63,000 crore, while Canara Bank's is ₹47,000 crore.

The hardening of bond yields by 44 basis points in the second quarter has led companies to prefer bank funding over market-linked resources. Canara Bank anticipates maintaining credit growth at around 19% with festive demand from individuals and corporate advances. Meanwhile, Indian Bank plans for slightly slower credit growth of 14-15%.

The bank aims to narrow the credit-deposit gap by improving deposit growth. Both banks emphasize that profits will be the main driver of growth. Indian Bank reported a 16.4% year-on-year credit growth driven by robust performance in retail, agriculture, and MSME sectors. The bank holds a pool of ₹30,000 crore in sanctioned corporate loans, ₹10,000 crore in loans with approval, and ₹23,000 crore in proposals under review.

Canara Bank's 19.5% year-on-year credit growth was bolstered by $3.2 billion lent to overseas Indians through an FCNR-B leverage strategy, allowing non-residents to borrow from Indian banks and park funds in foreign currency non-resident accounts.