MUMBAI: Vaccine king Adar Poonawalla’s Rising Sun Holdings cleared a Rs 1,500-crore equity infusion into Poonawalla Fincorp, raising its net worth to Rs 9,700 crore, in the previous week. The capital will support an aggressive retail expansion strategy under MD & CEO Arvind Kapil, who took charge just over a year ago after leading retail loans at HDFC Bank. “This is a story of senior bankers coming in, cleaning up the book, and now the promoter putting in Rs 1,500 crore,” Kapil said. “It’s a very big confidence statement for where he sees the company going.”The NBFC is simultaneously scaling both secured and unsecured lending. It has launched six new businesses – including personal loans, education finance, and commercial vehicle loans – departing from the typical incremental product rollouts seen in the sector. The company has also committed to opening 400 branches this year, including dedicated gold loan outlets, with 80 already operational.Distribution is central to the strategy, Kapil said. The company is expanding into consumer durable stores, where customers can apply for unsecured personal loans at the point of sale through an assisted digital journey. These retail locations, which will grow to 12,000 from 3,000 this year, also serve to originate new borrowers rather than upselling to existing ones. “It’s a new-to-market model,” Kapil said. “We’re not just upselling to our existing customers. These are first-time borrowers, approved and disbursed on the spot.”Despite caution in the sector, Kapil is confident about unsecured lending. “This is the best time to lend to MSMEs,” he said. “With GST data, credit bureau coverage and visibility on multiple loans, the segment is more transparent and robust than ever.”Credit costs have fallen to 1.4%, and NCDs now make up 27% of the firm’s liabilities. Poonawalla Fincorp is targeting Rs 1.5 lakh crore in AUM over the next four years, up from Rs 41,000 crore.
