SBI chief expects 14-15% credit growth

New Delhi, June 17

Given the current economic growth rate, SBI is expecting 14-15 per cent loan growth during the fiscal year 2024-25, the bank’s chairman Dinesh Kumar Khara said.

“Normally, the way we look at it is that the GDP growth rate plus inflation and 2-3 per cent over that. That gives us the number around 14 per cent or so,” Khara said.

“Hence, 14-15 per cent credit growth depends upon the opportunities available for lending, and it meets our risk appetite. We will be happy to grow at this pace,” he said.

As far as deposits are concerned, he said, it grew by 11 per cent last year. “And we have some elbow room available in terms of excess SLR and which ensures that we don’t have any pressure on us to raise the deposit rates for supporting our loan-to-deposit ratio,” he said.

The bank has an excess Statutory Liquidity Ratio between Rs 3.5 lakh crore and Rs 4 lakh crore. “We always give importance to deposits. That is why we increased the interest rate for the short-term deposits,” he said.