SBI has Rs 3 lakh crore in excess liquidity, denies POS terminal crisis

SBI Chairman says bank faces no funding challenges, citing Rs 3 lakh crore in excess SLR. The lender reported a record annual net profit of Rs 80,032 crore for FY26, with improved asset quality and a dividend declaration of Rs 17.35.

State Bank of India (SBI) Chairman, Challa Sreenivasulu Setty, on Friday stated that India's largest public sector bank faces no funding challenges, citing an excess Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) of approximately Rs 3 lakh crore available on its balance sheet. Responding to a query from ANI regarding how SBI plans to fund high loan demand without further squeezing profit margins, Setty explained during the Q4FY26 results press conference, "Even 11 per cent deposit growth provides significant absolute growth because our base is very large. Therefore, an 11-12 per cent growth rate in deposits should support a 17 per cent credit growth. More importantly, we have excess SLR, liquidity available in our balance sheet, of about Rs 3 lakh crore. With that available liquidity and our planned deposit growth rate, I believe there is no problem in terms of funding."

Setty also dismissed reports of a crisis in Point of Sale (POS) terminals linked to the ongoing West Asia crisis. When asked how SBI is preparing for potential disruptions, he said, "We are not facing any crisis regarding POS terminals within our company, particularly our payments subsidiary, which exclusively delivers for us. If concerns arise moving forward, we have sufficient inventory. This is a temporary situation, and we are not facing any concerns as of now."

SBI Reports Record Annual Profit, Strong Q4

The lender delivered a landmark performance for the 2025-26 financial year, reporting its highest-ever annual net profit of Rs 80,032 crore. For the final quarter (Q4FY26), the bank posted a net profit of Rs 19,684 crore, marking a 6 per cent year-on-year increase. This record-breaking bottom line was largely driven by a sharp reduction in loan loss provisions and a steady strengthening of the bank's balance sheet. Asset quality also showed notable improvement, with the Gross Non-Performing Asset (GNPA) ratio dropping to 1.49 per cent from 1.57 per cent in the previous quarter. While the Net NPA ratio held steady at 0.39 per cent, the bank's core income, Net Interest Income (NII)--rose 4.1 per cent year-on-year to Rs 44,380 crore. Although the NII figure was slightly below market expectations, the SBI board signalled confidence in its capital position by declaring a dividend of Rs 17.35 per equity share. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)