Gold‑Backed Gains Push Muthoot Finance’s Earnings to New Heights

Muthoot Finance announced a sharp rise in its quarterly profit, climbing from 13. 63 billion rupees last year to 26. 56 billion rupees in the latest three‑month period. The jump is largely driven by a surge in gold loans, as gold prices hit record highs from October to December. Higher gold values mean borrowers can lock in larger loans against the same amount of metal, boosting the company’s earnings. Loan assets under management grew by 51 percent year‑on‑year, reaching 1. 48 trillion rupees by the quarter’s end. In response to this momentum, management has lifted its gold‑loan growth forecast for the fiscal year to a range of 30–35 percent, up from an earlier target of 15 percent.Interest income saw a 63‑percent rise, reaching 71. 14 billion rupees. Meanwhile, the quality of assets improved: the proportion of loans overdue by more than 90 days fell from 2. 25 percent to 1. 58 percent, indicating better repayment performance. Share prices edged up by about 3. 4 percent ahead of the announcement, reflecting investor confidence in the company’s stronger loan portfolio and growing profitability.