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SBI Chairman C S Setty said the bank’s home loan portfolio crossed the Rs 9 lakh crore mark in November, reinforcing the lender’s strong position in the mortgage market. He added that sustained momentum in the Retail, Agriculture and MSME (RAM) segment, which now forms 67 per cent of the total loan book, will help the bank achieve 14 per cent credit growth this fiscal, higher than the earlier 12 per cent target.

The RAM portfolio crossed Rs 25 lakh crore in September, with MSME loans growing at 17–18 per cent, while retail and agriculture are expanding around 14 per cent. Gold loans are witnessing strong traction, and unsecured express credit is expected to see double-digit growth.

Corporate lending, after a slow phase, revived with 7.1 per cent growth in the second quarter. Setty said corporate credit is expected to expand in the lower double digits, making the overall credit growth target of 12–14 per cent achievable. The recent 25-basis-point repo rate cut by the Reserve Bank of India to 5.25 per cent is expected to make loans cheaper and further stimulate demand. Despite the rate cut, Setty said SBI will be able to maintain its 3 per cent net interest margin.

He also said the bank is unlikely to require fresh equity capital to fund its expansion plans. With a capital adequacy ratio of 15 per cent and strong profit levels, SBI can comfortably support loan growth of over Rs 12 lakh crore in the coming years. Setty added that if the current profitability trend continues for the next five to six years, the bank would not need to raise additional capital, particularly under the Common Equity Tier 1 component.