ESAF Small Finance Bank jumps after returning to profit in Q1, asset quality improves

Shares of ESAF Small Finance Bank jumped as much as 10% on Friday, July 31, after the company returned to profitability in the June quarter, reporting a standalone net profit of ₹80.1 crore compared with a net loss of ₹81.2 crore in the year-ago period, supported by strong growth in net interest income and an improvement in asset quality.

Net Interest Income (NII) rose 54.7% year-on-year to ₹584.3 crore from ₹377.6 crore. Total income increased to ₹1,346 crore from ₹1,023.4 crore a year earlier, while operating profit before provisions and contingencies nearly tripled to ₹349 crore from ₹124.9 crore. Profit before tax stood at ₹107 crore, compared with a pre-tax loss of ₹109.2 crore in the corresponding quarter last year.

The bank's asset quality improved sequentially, with the gross non-performing asset (GNPA) ratio easing to 5.40% from 5.41% in the March quarter. The net NPA ratio declined sharply to 0.83% from 1.77% in the preceding quarter. On a year-on-year basis, GNPA improved from 7.48%, while net NPA nearly halved from 3.77%.

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Capital adequacy under Basel II improved to 23.86% from 22.22% in the previous quarter. During the quarter, the bank raised ₹85 crore through Tier II bonds and allotted 2.89 lakh equity shares under its employee stock option scheme.

Shares of the company jumped 10% following the results, but have pared some gains since and were trading at ₹38.43, up 5.35% as of 1.31 pm. The stock has gained 42% so far in 2026.

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