Consumer Analyst / Channel Surveillance Specialist, Trudence Capital Advisors

Pranav Bhavsar

Consumer Analyst / Channel Surveillance Specialist

Trudence Capital Advisors

Trudence Capital Advisors Private Limited is a SEBI-registered Research Analyst, holding SEBI registration number INH000015747. Our firm is dedicated to providing independent and unbiased research on Indian mid to large-cap companies. Trudence Capital is known for its counter-consensus views, with a focus on forensic research and on-ground primary investigations. Our research approach is thorough, involving detailed analysis of accounting practices and governance, alongside extensive channel checks.

Independent & Unbiased Research

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

<ul>
<li>With the "Postcard" series, our objective is to bring to our readers on-ground insights based on interactions across key channels located in tier 2 and tier 3 locations.</li>
<li>For this Postcard, we traveled to Mandya, a city in the southern state of Karnataka, also known as the 'Sugar City,' on a rented E6 by <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/byd-co-ltd-h" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:20962:1" rel="noopener">BYD (1211 HK)</a>.  </li>
<li>Sectors in focus include Consumer Finance, Mortgage Lenders, and Retailers.</li>
</ul>


With the "Postcard" series, our objective is to bring to our readers on-ground insights based on interactions across key channels located in tier 2 and tier 3 locations.
For this Postcard, we traveled to Mandya, a city in the southern state of Karnataka, also known as the 'Sugar City,' on a rented E6 by BYD (1211 HK).  
Sectors in focus include Consumer Finance, Mortgage Lenders, and Retailers.


Postcard from Mandya | Cruising Around the Sugar City in a BYD

India Equity Analyst - Fundamental & Thematic, Beat the Street

Sudarshan Bhandari

India Equity Analyst - Fundamental & Thematic

Beat the Street

Beat The Street was founded by Nimish Maheshwari and Sudarshan Bhandari, both of whom are Chartered Accountants by Profession, known for their expert analysis in the fields of Business, Sectoral analysis, and Corporate governance.

With a strong social media presence of 45,000+ Subscribers across various platforms, they are considered trusted voices in the industry. Their insights and analysis have been featured in some of India’s most prominent publications, including the Economic Times, Dalal Street Investment Journal, The Morning Context, and The Ken.

Their analysis on Bankrupt & Insolvent companies has been instrumental in saving investors from significant losses. They have a keen eye for identifying red flags and has identified exclusive redflags earlier in Vedanta, Nykaa, Dhani Services, Adani and many more.

Read Business Not Stock Prices

<ul>
<li>Demand outside gold remains soft; co‑funding costs show early easing; asset quality stress is shifting, with vehicle finance and micro‑LAP emerging as pain points.</li>
<li>The divergence across NBFC subsegments (gold, affordable housing, vehicle finance, micro-LAP) is widening, making sector-level staging less helpful - selective bets will matter more.</li>
<li>We remain biased toward affordable HFCs, gold financiers (to ride momentum), and select diversified NBFCs. Vigilance is needed to combat NIM pressure and rising unsecured stress.</li>
</ul>


Demand outside gold remains soft; co‑funding costs show early easing; asset quality stress is shifting, with vehicle finance and micro‑LAP emerging as pain points.
The divergence across NBFC subsegments (gold, affordable housing, vehicle finance, micro-LAP) is widening, making sector-level staging less helpful - selective bets will matter more.
We remain biased toward affordable HFCs, gold financiers (to ride momentum), and select diversified NBFCs. Vigilance is needed to combat NIM pressure and rising unsecured stress.


NBFC Q2FY26 Outlook - Rate Cuts, Credit Stress & Selective Wins in NBFCs

Market & Forensics Analyst, Beat the Street

Nimish Maheshwari

Market & Forensics Analyst

<ul>
<li>During rate cut cycle, NBFCs with a higher proportion of floating-rate liabilities &amp; a relatively lower proportion of floating-rate assets are poised to experience an expansion in their profitability.</li>
<li>This insight analyzes the asset-liability profiles of select Vehicle Financiers, Prime HFCs, and Affordable HFCs to identify their sensitivity to interest rate movements</li>
<li>Overall, NBFCs expect the benefit of the rate cut to have a lagged effect from H2FY26, leading  expansion in NIM and overall profitability</li>
</ul>


During rate cut cycle, NBFCs with a higher proportion of floating-rate liabilities &amp; a relatively lower proportion of floating-rate assets are poised to experience an expansion in their profitability.
This insight analyzes the asset-liability profiles of select Vehicle Financiers, Prime HFCs, and Affordable HFCs to identify their sensitivity to interest rate movements
Overall, NBFCs expect the benefit of the rate cut to have a lagged effect from H2FY26, leading  expansion in NIM and overall profitability


Thematic Report : Impact of Rate Cuts on Profitability of NBFCs and HFCs in India

India focused: IPO, special situations, Stylus Holdings

Himanshu Dugar

India focused: IPO, special situations

Stylus Holdings

Stylus Holdings is a buy-side equity research firm. We offer bottom-up investment ideas as well as provide on demand equity research and portfolio tracking. 
At Stylus, our focus is to identify market dislocations that can generate 20+% IRR with a reasonable margin of safety. As part of our research process, we do a deep dive into the fundamentals of the company, evaluate their competitive positioning and assess their valuation.
Our investment team is led by Himanshu Dugar. Himanshu is a Chartered Accountant and a CFA charter holder. He has 10+ years of active experience in the stock market with stints at CRISIL Research, a S&P Global copmany and Miras Investments, a single family office based in Dubai.

Equity Research Firm

Equity Bottom-Up

Five-Star Business Finance / Equity Bottom-Up

<ul>
<li>Five-Star is emerging from a stress-led portfolio repair phase into calibrated growth. Operations have been institutionalised. Collection efficiency exceeds 98%, signalling improving asset quality while disbursements are expected to pick-up.</li>
<li>Management guides for disbursements to grow 10% YOY as it slows down branch expansion. Considering strong credit demand and improving asset quality, we model AUM to grow 20% over FY26-28.</li>
<li>Despite near-term NIM compression and elevated operating expenses from investments in collections, technology and employee retention, Five-Star retains industry-leading profitability, expecting to close FY27 with RoA/RoE of 7.7%/16%</li>
</ul>


Five-Star is emerging from a stress-led portfolio repair phase into calibrated growth. Operations have been institutionalised. Collection efficiency exceeds 98%, signalling improving asset quality while disbursements are expected to pick-up.
Management guides for disbursements to grow 10% YOY as it slows down branch expansion. Considering strong credit demand and improving asset quality, we model AUM to grow 20% over FY26-28.
Despite near-term NIM compression and elevated operating expenses from investments in collections, technology and employee retention, Five-Star retains industry-leading profitability, expecting to close FY27 with RoA/RoE of 7.7%/16%


Five Star Business Finance - At an Inflection Point

Silver Point

Thomas J. Monaco

Silver Point is a boutique research firm that focuses on the broader financial services sector, with a particular focus on troubled institutions globally. 

Asia Ex Japan

*Not So Stable: According to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), gross NPLS are not anticipated to be as bad as originally believed. In addition, the RBI retains its cautious outlook on MSME credit risk; and
* Rose Colored Glasses: As we have highlighted in numerous individual Indian bank notes, credit quality continued to deteriorate at an accelerated pace prior to the second wave of COVID-19. While many financials are already considered technically insolvent, the reality is that there has been absolutely no let up in the breakdown of credit quality.

*Not So Stable: According to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), gross NPLS are not anticipated to be as bad as originally believed. In addition, the RBI retains its cautious outlook on MSME credit risk; and
* Rose Colored Glasses: As we have highlighted in numerous individual Indian bank notes, credit quality continued to deteriorate at an accelerated pace prior to the second wave of COVID-19. While many financials are already considered technically insolvent, the reality is that there has been absolutely no let up in the breakdown of credit quality.

Reserve Bank Of India – FSR Is Very Unrealistic

India

HomeFirst Finance is a technology-driven housing finance company in India, specializing in affordable housing loans. It provides home loans, mortgage loans, and home construction loans primarily to first-time homebuyers in low and middle-income groups. The company was founded in 2010 and is headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.

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HomeFirst Finance (HOMEFIRS IN)

Postcard from Mandya | Cruising Around the Sugar City in a BYD

In one of its first decisions, the newly formed NDA government, convened in its inaugural cabinet meeting on Monday, resolved to extend support to...

Pranav Bhavsar

NBFC Q2FY26 Outlook - Rate Cuts, Credit Stress & Selective Wins in NBFCs

Soft demand outside gold, easing co-funding costs, shifting asset quality stress in vehicle finance and micro-LAP. Divergence in NBFC subsegments...

Sudarshan Bhandari

Thematic Report : Impact of Rate Cuts on Profitability of NBFCs and HFCs in India

NBFCs with more floating-rate liabilities and less floating-rate assets set to profit from rate cuts, with increased profitability expected in...

Nimish Maheshwari

Five Star Business Finance - At an Inflection Point

Q1 results show turnaround is underway with strong disbursement growth and improving recoveries. The Balance sheet remains conservatively run with...

Himanshu Dugar

Reserve Bank Of India – FSR Is Very Unrealistic

RESERVE BANK OF INDIA: According to the RBI, NPLS are not anticipated to be as bad. This couldn't be further from the truth. NPLs continue to...

Thomas J. Monaco

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Postcard from Mandya | Cruising Around the Sugar City in a BYD

In one of its first decisions, the newly formed NDA government, convened in its inaugural cabinet meeting on Monday, resolved to extend support to...

Pranav Bhavsar

NBFC Q2FY26 Outlook - Rate Cuts, Credit Stress & Selective Wins in NBFCs

​Soft demand outside gold, easing co-funding costs, shifting asset quality stress in vehicle finance and micro-LAP. Divergence in NBFC subsegments...

Sudarshan Bhandari

Thematic Report : Impact of Rate Cuts on Profitability of NBFCs and HFCs in India

​NBFCs with more floating-rate liabilities and less floating-rate assets set to profit from rate cuts, with increased profitability expected in...

Nimish Maheshwari

Five Star Business Finance - At an Inflection Point

Q1 results show turnaround is underway with strong disbursement growth and improving recoveries. The Balance sheet remains conservatively run with...

Himanshu Dugar

Reserve Bank Of India – FSR Is Very Unrealistic

RESERVE BANK OF INDIA: According to the RBI, NPLS are not anticipated to be as bad. This couldn't be further from the truth. NPLs continue to...

Thomas J. Monaco

Soft demand outside gold, easing co-funding costs, shifting asset quality stress in vehicle finance and micro-LAP. Divergence in NBFC subsegments...

NBFCs with more floating-rate liabilities and less floating-rate assets set to profit from rate cuts, with increased profitability expected in...