Japan Credit Rating Agency awards SMFG India Credit AA- Rating, 4 Notches Above India's Sovereign Rating

NewsVoir
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], December 6: SMFG India Credit (SMICC), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (SMFG), has been awarded an international credit rating of "AA-" with a stable outlook by the Japan Credit Rating Agency (JCR). This exceptional outcome places SMICC four notches above India's sovereign rating and only one notch below its parent financial group SMFG's own "AA" rating.
JCR highlighted SMICC's strategic importance to SMFG's Asia Multi-Franchise Strategy, which is supported by robust governance and alignment with SMFG's ethos of promoting financial inclusion and empowering underserved communities in India.
Pankaj Malik, Chief Financial Officer, SMFG India Credit, said, "This AA- rating by JCR is a testament to SMFG India Credit's commitment to maintaining financial discipline, operational excellence, and customer-centric growth with the help of innovative products offerings. SMICC's consistent growth trajectory and strategic alignment with SMFG's global objectives position us as a key player in India's rapidly expanding retail loan market. This recognition further motivates us to continue fostering financial inclusion and delivering value to our stakeholders."
JCR also observed that SMICC's business scale has grown significantly, driven by the expansion in the domestic consumer credit market and strong support from SMFG. The company's growth trajectory remains robust and it continues to maintain a healthy loan book. The company has also kept its interest rate risk and liquidity risk appropriately managed through risk management committee.
SMFG India Credit Co. Ltd. (Formerly Fullerton India Credit Co. Ltd.), a leading NBFC - Investment and Credit Company (NBFC-ICC) registered with the Reserve Bank of India and a wholly owned subsidiary of SMFG, has been operating in India since 2007. Together with its subsidiary, SMFG India Home Finance Co. Ltd. (Formerly Fullerton India Home Finance Co. Ltd.) also known as SMFG Grihashakti, the company has established a pan-India presence, across 670+ towns and 70,000+ villages through 1000 branches and 25,000+ employees offering lending products to underserved & unserved retail and small business borrowers. By doing so, it has introduced people to formal credit. SMFG India Credit along with SMFG Grihashakti offers a comprehensive range of lending solutions, including SME financing, commercial vehicle and two-wheeler loans, home loans, home improvement loans, loans against property and shares, personal loans, and rural livelihood advancement loans etc.
SMFG is one of the largest global banking and financial service groups, offering a diverse range of financial services including commercial banking, leasing, securities and consumer finance and is headquartered in Japan. SMFG is listed on the Tokyo and New York (via ADR) Stock Exchanges and has a market capitalization of approximately US$77.5 billion (as of 29th March 2024). SMFG is one of the global systemically important banks (G-SIBs) and has high credit ratings of A1 by Moody's Investors Service and A- by Standard & Poor's.
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