Credit information company TransUnion CIBIL reports an increase in MSME NPA ratio to 12.8%. Also, the Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) provided a much-needed boost to disbursement to small enterprises, especially of microloans.
Increase in NPA ratio of MSMEs and NBFCs
TransUnion Cibil said in its MSME Pulse Report October 2020 that non-performing assets ratio in MSMEs rose to 12.8% in June 2020, from 11.4% in June 2019. Further, it reported an increase in credit disbursal to small businesses as state-owned banks ramped up disbursals 2.6 times as against the levels in February. While MSME NPA ratio of Private Banks rose to 5.8% in June 2020 from 4.6% in June 2019, public sector banks witnessed an 18.6% increase in the rate in June 2020 as against last year.
Besides, the NPA ratio of NBFCs observed a sharp increase from 9.7% in June 2020 from 5.8% in June 2019. It attributed this sharp rise to a slowdown in MSME credit growth. Also, MSMEs in CMR-1 to CMR-3 segment showed the lowest instances of missed payments.
Implementation of ECLGS Rebounds Credit Disbursements to MSMEs
The credit rating agency reported that credit infusion to MSMEs in metro locations declined sharply during April and May 2020. On the other hand, MSMEs located in Urban, semi-urban and rural regions and where lockdown was less stringent, saw a relatively lower impact during the same period. However, it bounced back with the implementation of ECLGS and relaxation in lockdown.
Maharashtra and Delhi saw the Lowest Increase in Credit Infusion
State-wise, credit disbursements to MSMEs in Bihar, Punjab, Kerala and Jharkhand increased four times as compared to in February. Overall, the distribution of loans increased significantly at the national level except for Maharashtra and Delhi, which saw the lowest rise in June as compared to February 2020.
In all, the report concluded that MSMEs remained resilient through economic disruptions caused by COVID-19. Also, PSBs have been dominant lenders; however, the share of Private Banks and NBFCs in credit to MSMEs has increased significantly.