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>After a decade of volatile, high-cost build-out, India's Small Finance Bank sector is at a inflection point, shifting decisively from high-risk MFI lending to diversified, secured loan books.</li>
<li>
Market skepticism, fueled by past MFI stress and value erosion, has left most SFBs trading at a 10-35% discount. This valuation disconnect ignores maturing branch networks and superior growth potential.</li>
<li>The sector's transformation is real, but not all SFBs are equal. The path to re-rating will be determined by execution in building a low-cost liability franchise.</li>
</ul>


After a decade of volatile, high-cost build-out, India's Small Finance Bank sector is at a inflection point, shifting decisively from high-risk MFI lending to diversified, secured loan books.

Market skepticism, fueled by past MFI stress and value erosion, has left most SFBs trading at a 10-35% discount. This valuation disconnect ignores maturing branch networks and superior growth potential.
The sector's transformation is real, but not all SFBs are equal. The path to re-rating will be determined by execution in building a low-cost liability franchise.


Thematic Report on Small Finance Banks: The MFI Curse Is Fading & A New Era of Secured Growth Begins

<ul>
<li>Despite a 100-bps rate cut by RBI, banks face margin pressure as lending rates fall faster than deposit repricing. </li>
<li>Credit growth has slowed sharply, while deposit growth is improving unevenly - tightening liquidity conditions, especially for private banks and SFBs.</li>
<li>Valuations remain attractive despite near-term earnings stress, supported by stable asset quality, treasury gains, and long-term confidence in sector fundamentals.</li>
</ul>


Despite a 100-bps rate cut by RBI, banks face margin pressure as lending rates fall faster than deposit repricing. 
Credit growth has slowed sharply, while deposit growth is improving unevenly - tightening liquidity conditions, especially for private banks and SFBs.
Valuations remain attractive despite near-term earnings stress, supported by stable asset quality, treasury gains, and long-term confidence in sector fundamentals.


Q1FY26 Banking Sector Report: How Repo Rate Cuts Are Reshaping the Sector?

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

Equity Bottom-Up

<ul>
<li>In this insight, we examine the key challenges facing the sector and discuss potential paths forward for MFI-focused lenders. </li>
<li>Companies in this sector have seen sharp declines, with stocks down 45% from their 52-week highs and showing negative returns of -37% YTD.</li>
<li>Considering the Industry data, it would be fair to conclude that the pain in the industry is likely to persist.  CREDAG, SPANDANA, AUBANK, and IIB are key names to watch.</li>
</ul>


In this insight, we examine the key challenges facing the sector and discuss potential paths forward for MFI-focused lenders. 
Companies in this sector have seen sharp declines, with stocks down 45% from their 52-week highs and showing negative returns of -37% YTD.
Considering the Industry data, it would be fair to conclude that the pain in the industry is likely to persist.  CREDAG, SPANDANA, AUBANK, and IIB are key names to watch.


Navigating MFI Consumer Credit Exuberance - A Rocky Road Head

APAC IPOs & Placements, Aequitas Research

Akshat Shah

APAC IPOs & Placements

IPOs and Placements coverage across Asia Pacific

Aequitas Research

We cover all listing across the Asia Pacific along with follow-up placements. As of Dec 2020, our team had covered 539 IPOs with a hit rate of 73.5% and 685 placements with a hit rate of 66.8%.

We combine fundamental bottom-up views with our proprietary quantitative framework to provide a holistic coverage across new listings and placements. Our coverage includes pre-IPO notes before the deal is launched, follow-up analysis once the deal is live and post-listing trading analysis as well.

Equity Capital Markets

Belstar Microfinance Ltd / Equity Capital Markets

<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/belstar-microfinance-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:43409:1" rel="noopener">Belstar Microfinance Ltd (3624918Z IN)</a> is looking to raise around US$156m in its upcoming India IPO.</li>
<li>Belstar Microfinance is a non-banking finance company (NBFC) in India with a focus on furnishing micro-enterprise loans. </li>
<li>In this note, we talk about the company’s historical performance.</li>
</ul>



Belstar Microfinance Ltd (3624918Z IN) is looking to raise around US$156m in its upcoming India IPO.
Belstar Microfinance is a non-banking finance company (NBFC) in India with a focus on furnishing micro-enterprise loans. 
In this note, we talk about the company’s historical performance.


Belstar Microfinance Pre-IPO - Accelerating Profitability Growth With A Diversified Network

Ethan Aw

Asirvad Micro Finance Limited / Equity Capital Markets

<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/asirvad-micro-finance-limited" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:40211:1" rel="noopener">Asirvad Micro Finance Limited (1053198D IN)</a> is looking to raise around US$183m in its upcoming India IPO.</li>
<li>Asirvad Micro Finance Limited (Asirvad) is a non-banking finance company (NBFC), and a microfinance institution (MFI) offering small loans to low-income women in India.</li>
<li>In this note, we talk about the company’s historical performance.</li>
</ul>



Asirvad Micro Finance Limited (1053198D IN) is looking to raise around US$183m in its upcoming India IPO.
Asirvad Micro Finance Limited (Asirvad) is a non-banking finance company (NBFC), and a microfinance institution (MFI) offering small loans to low-income women in India.
In this note, we talk about the company’s historical performance.


Asirvad Micro Finance Pre-IPO - Accelerating Profitability Growth but with a Litany of Legal Cases

India

Ujjivan Small Finance Bank Limited operates as a bank. The Company offers various types of financial services such as saving account, deposits, loans, and insurance solutions. Ujjivan Small Finance Bank serves customers in India.

Ujjivan Small Finance Bank  (UJJIVANS IN)

Price Gauge
52-week Range	0.00 - 0.00
Market Cap (USDm)	0.00
P/E	0.00
Dividend (Yield)	0.00

Ujjivan Small Finance Bank (UJJIVANS IN)

Thematic Report on Small Finance Banks: The MFI Curse Is Fading & A New Era of Secured Growth Begins

India's Small Finance Banks sector is transitioning from MFI lending to diversified loan books offering growth potential through branch network...

Sudarshan Bhandari

Q1FY26 Banking Sector Report: How Repo Rate Cuts Are Reshaping the Sector?

RBI's rate cut leads to margin pressure for banks as lending rates drop faster than deposit rates, impacting credit growth and liquidity...

Sudarshan Bhandari

Navigating MFI Consumer Credit Exuberance - A Rocky Road Head

The Pain in Consumer Leverage is now showing up in the earnings. "CreditAccess Grameen has revised its guidance for FY25 for the second time in...

Pranav Bhavsar

Belstar Microfinance Pre-IPO - Accelerating Profitability Growth With A Diversified Network

Belstar Microfinance Limited is looking to raise around US$156m in its upcoming India IPO. In this note, we talk about the company’s historical...

Akshat Shah

Asirvad Micro Finance Pre-IPO - Accelerating Profitability Growth but with a Litany of Legal Cases

Asirvad Micro Finance Limited (1053198D IN) is looking to raise around US$183m in its upcoming India IPO. In this note, we talk about the company’s...

Ethan Aw

Price Gauge

52-week Range

Market Cap (USDm)

P/E

Dividend (Yield)

Thematic Report on Small Finance Banks: The MFI Curse Is Fading & A New Era of Secured Growth Begins

​India's Small Finance Banks sector is transitioning from MFI lending to diversified loan books offering growth potential through branch network...

Sudarshan Bhandari

Q1FY26 Banking Sector Report: How Repo Rate Cuts Are Reshaping the Sector?

​RBI's rate cut leads to margin pressure for banks as lending rates drop faster than deposit rates, impacting credit growth and liquidity...

Sudarshan Bhandari

Navigating MFI Consumer Credit Exuberance - A Rocky Road Head

The Pain in Consumer Leverage is now showing up in the earnings. "CreditAccess Grameen has revised its guidance for FY25 for the second time in...

Pranav Bhavsar

Belstar Microfinance Pre-IPO - Accelerating Profitability Growth With A Diversified Network

Belstar Microfinance Limited is looking to raise around US$156m in its upcoming India IPO. In this note, we talk about the company’s historical...

Akshat Shah

Asirvad Micro Finance Pre-IPO - Accelerating Profitability Growth but with a Litany of Legal Cases

Asirvad Micro Finance Limited (1053198D IN) is looking to raise around US$183m in its upcoming India IPO. In this note, we talk about the company’s...

Ethan Aw

India's Small Finance Banks sector is transitioning from MFI lending to diversified loan books offering growth potential through branch network...

RBI's rate cut leads to margin pressure for banks as lending rates drop faster than deposit rates, impacting credit growth and liquidity...