RBI's advisory will not
affect Manappuram's business, says MD & CEO
The
Reserve Bank of India's (RBI's) advisory to non-banking finance companies
(NBFCs), asking them not to disburse gold loans in cash exceeding Rs 20,000,
will not hamper its business, said V P Nandakumar, managing director and chief
executive officer of Manappuram Finance.
The
RBI recently advised NBFCs extending gold loans not to lend in cash exceeding
Rs 20,000, citing the Income Tax Act.
According
to Nandakumar, online gold loans, which form 50 per cent of their gold loan
portfolio, follow a fully paperless process for application and disbursement.
Even
for the loans originating at branches, most of our customers prefer direct
transfers. Moreover, our employees are trained to convince customers of the
same as it promotes smooth operations, Nandakumar said.
Referring
to Section 269SS of the Income Tax Act, 1961, which stipulates that no
individual can receive more than Rs 20,000 as a loan amount in cash, the
regulator said that no NBFCs can disburse loan amounts in cash exceeding Rs
20,000.
Nandakumar
also said that the company has followed a fully compliant process and will
continue to do so, and he does not believe that the advisory will discourage
customers from taking gold loans. We believe that the RBI has issued the
advisory to promote transparency and prevent potential disputes, and we support
the same, he added.
The
regulator has asked gold loan NBFCs to strictly adhere to the provisions of the
Income Tax Act, according to a communication with these companies reviewed by
Business Standard.
In
March, the RBI restricted IIFL Finance from sanctioning and disbursing new gold
loans, citing material supervisory concerns and to protect the interests of
customers. One of the concerns was related to higher cash disbursement than
stipulated by the norms.
www.business-standard.com dt. 10.05.2024