Independent Asian Credit Research, Bondcritic

Warut Promboon

Independent Asian Credit Research

Asian Fixed Income/Frontier Market Research

Bondcritic

Bondcritic, established in 2009, is designed to be an independent credit research voice that helps investors gain insights and unbiased analyses on Asian fixed income market. Our mission is to discover deep-value Asian high-yield and distressed bonds with a bottom-up approach, together with the help of our proprietary ESG (Environmental, Social Development, and Governance) model. At the same time, we focus on bringing investment cases of unrated and unloved issuers to the general public.

Credit

<ul>
<li>We initiate our coverage on Health and Happiness International Holding Limited (H&amp;H)’s BTSDF 9.125% 24Jul2028.</li>
<li>H&amp;H has refinanced USD320m of 2026 notes with the new USD300m of 2028 notes at a 9.125% coupon. The new bonds help extend its debt maturity and lower financing cost.</li>
<li>The bonds offer diversification and a chance to invest back in China after the fallout in the property sector. We assign an OVERWEIGHT recommendation.</li>
</ul>


We initiate our coverage on Health and Happiness International Holding Limited (H&amp;H)’s BTSDF 9.125% 24Jul2028.
H&amp;H has refinanced USD320m of 2026 notes with the new USD300m of 2028 notes at a 9.125% coupon. The new bonds help extend its debt maturity and lower financing cost.
The bonds offer diversification and a chance to invest back in China after the fallout in the property sector. We assign an OVERWEIGHT recommendation.


Research and consultancy, Tabbush Report

Daniel Tabbush

Research and consultancy

Tabbush Report

We provide research and consultancy on Asian banks. Our focus is on what we call “Asian bank research, without the noise.” We are interested in the most critical swing-factors for banks, the NPL and credit cycle, and where we believe there is a gap between perception and reality. We often focus on the less studied components of bank financial statements.  Our research is highly thematic, sometimes examining unlisted banks and companies as a window on mainstream banks. 

Being independent allows us to look at smaller banks, often overlooked by others. Analysis of BIS bank guidelines in the context of Asia, is also a focal point, while we also analyze global banks operating in the region. We use what we believe is the most comprehensive, reliable financials database, SNL Financial. S&P Capital IQ augments our database, with corporate data and CEIC, with economics. 

Asian bank research, without the noise.

Equity Bottom-Up

India’s non-banking finance company (NBFC), <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/15425" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:15425:1">Muthoot Finance (MUTH IN; "MTF")</a>, lends against gold, arguably the best collateral of all. Its gold jewelry kept as security is up from 147 tons to 166 tons, from December 2016 to December 2018. This may be one reason that the company’s bad loans are low, not only in an India context, but in Asia. Its stage three loans surged after demonetization peaking in December 2017 at INR21.5bn. Since then, figures have fallen sharply, to INR6.4bn as at December 2018. As a percentage of loans, stage three loans declined from 7.6% to 2.0% over this period. With credit costs and write-offs down 96% during 9M19 YoY, credit metrics appear healthy.

India’s non-banking finance company (NBFC), Muthoot Finance (MUTH IN; "MTF"), lends against gold, arguably the best collateral of all. Its gold jewelry kept as security is up from 147 tons to 166 tons, from December 2016 to December 2018. This may be one reason that the company’s bad loans are low, not only in an India context, but in Asia. Its stage three loans surged after demonetization peaking in December 2017 at INR21.5bn. Since then, figures have fallen sharply, to INR6.4bn as at December 2018. As a percentage of loans, stage three loans declined from 7.6% to 2.0% over this period. With credit costs and write-offs down 96% during 9M19 YoY, credit metrics appear healthy.

Muthoot Finance – Top ROA Lender, with 116 Tons of Gold!

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

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

<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

External broker reports(aggregated public sources), Axis Direct

Axis Direct

External broker reports(aggregated public sources)

Axis Direct is the flagship brand under Axis Securities Limited, a subsidiary of Axis Bank in India. 

Content available is external broker reports authored by a third party outside the Smartkarma network and has been aggregated by an online aggregator through publicly available sources and is displayed by Smartkarma in this format for user's convenience and general informational purposes only. Content does not constitute investment or financial advice and Smartkarma makes no representation or warranty regarding its accuracy or contents. Original third party author retains all copyright and other proprietary rights in the content. Access or use of third party links not controlled by Smartkarma are at the user's own risk.

<ul><li>The systemic credit growth as of 19 th September, 2025, stood at 10.4% YoY, with muted growth seen in retail and corporate segments.</li><li>However, credit growth is showing gradual signs of revival. For banks that have reported their provisional update, they have reported a healthy sequential growth.</li><li>We expect banks under our coverage to deliver ~11% YoY credit growth, only marginally ahead of industry growth. </li></ul>Content is external broker report sourced from online content aggregator through publicly available sources and is displayed below for general informational purposes only. Refer full disclaimer below.

The systemic credit growth as of 19 th September, 2025, stood at 10.4% YoY, with muted growth seen in retail and corporate segments.However, credit growth is showing gradual signs of revival. For banks that have reported their provisional update, they have reported a healthy sequential growth.We expect banks under our coverage to deliver ~11% YoY credit growth, only marginally ahead of industry growth. Content is external broker report sourced from online content aggregator through publicly available sources and is displayed below for general informational purposes only. Refer full disclaimer below.

Q2FY26 Earnings Preview - Banks, Financial Services & Insurance (BFSI)

<ul>
<li>NBFCs are consistently delivering higher credit growth than the overall lending industry across most asset classes—driven by demand from underserved segments and enabled by tech-led agility.</li>
<li>From FY20–25, NBFCs saw higher CAGR in 5 of the 7 loan segments, and this trend is projected to continue through FY26—reinforcing their systemic importance in India’s credit landscape.</li>
<li>NBFCs are no longer niche lenders. With higher market share in fast-growing segments like personal loans, MSME, microfinance, and consumer durables, they are outgrowing the systemic pace—indicating stronger tailwinds</li>
</ul>


NBFCs are consistently delivering higher credit growth than the overall lending industry across most asset classes—driven by demand from underserved segments and enabled by tech-led agility.
From FY20–25, NBFCs saw higher CAGR in 5 of the 7 loan segments, and this trend is projected to continue through FY26—reinforcing their systemic importance in India’s credit landscape.
NBFCs are no longer niche lenders. With higher market share in fast-growing segments like personal loans, MSME, microfinance, and consumer durables, they are outgrowing the systemic pace—indicating stronger tailwinds


Charted Insights: NBFCs Continue to Outpace Industry Credit Growth — Stronger, Faster, Deeper

India

Manappuram Finance Ltd. is a non-banking finance company. The Company offers loans against gold collateral, business loans, vehicle loans, foreign exchange and money transfer services; and sells gold coins.

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Manappuram Finance (MGFL IN)

Health & Happiness: On Deleveraging Path

Coverage initiated on H&H's new 9.125% 2028 bonds, offering diversification and a chance to invest in China post-property sector fallout....

Bondcritic

Muthoot Finance – Top ROA Lender, with 116 Tons of Gold!

Muthoot Finance lends based on gold collateral, with gold prices so much higher now than in the past, there is far less likelihood of defaults. The...

Daniel Tabbush

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

Q2FY26 Earnings Preview - Banks, Financial Services & Insurance (BFSI)

The systemic credit growth as of 19 th September, 2025, stood at 10.4% YoY, with muted growth seen in retail and corporate segments.

Axis Direct

Charted Insights: NBFCs Continue to Outpace Industry Credit Growth — Stronger, Faster, Deeper

NBFCs in India are driving higher credit growth across various loan segments, outpacing the overall lending industry with tech-enabled agility and...

Sudarshan Bhandari

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52-week Range

Market Cap (USDm)

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Dividend (Yield)

Health & Happiness: On Deleveraging Path

​Coverage initiated on H&H's new 9.125% 2028 bonds, offering diversification and a chance to invest in China post-property sector fallout....

Bondcritic

Muthoot Finance – Top ROA Lender, with 116 Tons of Gold!

Muthoot Finance lends based on gold collateral, with gold prices so much higher now than in the past, there is far less likelihood of defaults. The...

Daniel Tabbush

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

Q2FY26 Earnings Preview - Banks, Financial Services & Insurance (BFSI)

The systemic credit growth as of 19 th September, 2025, stood at 10.4% YoY, with muted growth seen in retail and corporate segments.

Axis Direct

Charted Insights: NBFCs Continue to Outpace Industry Credit Growth — Stronger, Faster, Deeper

​NBFCs in India are driving higher credit growth across various loan segments, outpacing the overall lending industry with tech-enabled agility and...

Sudarshan Bhandari

Coverage initiated on H&H's new 9.125% 2028 bonds, offering diversification and a chance to invest in China post-property sector fallout....

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

NBFCs in India are driving higher credit growth across various loan segments, outpacing the overall lending industry with tech-enabled agility and...