L&T Finance to grow its retail portfolio, cut real estate and infra exposure

Chennai, May 2 (IANS) Planning to grow its retail loan business non-banking finance company while reducing exposures to some sectors, L&T Finance Holdings Ltd is looking at bringing in promoters for real estate projects to complete some projects, Managing Director and CEO Dinanath Dubhashi said on Monday.

He also said the company will look to bring in equity partners in the case of infrastructure projects.

Speaking to the media, Dubhashi noted that over the last two years, the focus was on completing the real estate projects.

The company explores options like bringing in a new promoter to complete a project if the existing promoter is not able to finish the project.

Dubhashi said the company has an exposure of about Rs 11,000 crore in the real estate sector.

In respect of infrastructure projects, L&T Finance Holdings will be looking at bringing in fresh outside equity while not funding from its own cash chest, he said.

Dubhashi said the infrastructure platform is valuable but funding of the same will be limited.

The idea is to go for an asset light model, he remarked.

On growing the retail portfolio, Dubhashi said apart from growing it organically, the company will look at inorganic growth like buying retail loan portfolios from others.

"We will not securitise our portfolio. But we will buy retail portfolios from others," he said.

According to him, by the year 2026, the retail loan portfolio of the company will be about 80 per cent through cross selling and upselling of products to customers.

The company has gathered the data of its customers and through analytics further products will be sold to them.

At the end of last fiscal, the company's retail loan book size was Rs 45,084 crore out of total book size of Rs 88,341 crore.

Dubhashi said L&T Finance Holdings has set up a goal of being a top-notch retail finance company by 2026, with growth originating from a "customer-focused" approach, consisting of both native as well open market borrowers.

"This will be built on our strong digital and analytical abilities, allowing us to identify need of the customer and fulfilling them through our product offerings, which will multiply multifold in the near future," he said.