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10.1 Scenario A — ₹30 Cr own book

  • Live AUM (avg): ₹30 Cr of revolving WC lines.
  • Avg ticket: ₹30 lakh.
  • Avg tenure: 90 days.
  • Active borrowers (avg): ~100 (since avg book ₹30 Cr ÷ avg outstanding per borrower ~₹30 lakh).
  • Annual disbursement: ~₹120 Cr (4× book turn).
  • Disbursals per year: ~400 (assuming ₹30 lakh avg ticket).
  • Capital deployed: ₹30 Cr of which ~₹10 Cr equity, ~₹20 Cr debt.
LineAnnual ₹
Interest (yield 19% × ₹30 Cr)₹5.70 Cr
Processing fee (1.5% × ₹120 Cr disbursal)₹1.80 Cr
Servicing / annual fee (line fee at 0.25% × ₹30 Cr)₹0.075 Cr
Penal / other fees₹0.10 Cr
Gross revenue₹7.68 Cr
LineAnnual ₹
Cost of funds (12.5% × ₹20 Cr debt)₹2.50 Cr
Operating cost — sales, credit, ops, collections (3.5% × ₹30 Cr)₹1.05 Cr
Tech + vendor cost (1.0% × ₹30 Cr + fixed)~₹0.50 Cr
DSA / channel payout (assume 60% of book via DSA at 0.75%)~₹0.55 Cr
Total operating cost₹4.60 Cr
Credit cost (ECL at 2.5% × ₹30 Cr)₹0.75 Cr
Total cost₹5.35 Cr
LineAnnual ₹
Gross revenue₹7.68 Cr
Less: total cost₹5.35 Cr
Pre-tax profit₹2.33 Cr
Tax (25%)₹0.58 Cr
Net profit₹1.75 Cr
RatioValue
Yield + fees / book~25.6%
NIM (yield - cost of funds, weighted)~12.7%
Cost-income ratio~67% (op-cost / total revenue)
Pre-tax ROA~7.8% of book
ROE (pre-tax, on ₹10 Cr equity)~23%
  • Healthy in steady state but very small absolute numbers₹2.33 Cr pre-tax can’t sustain a ~25-person team’s salaries (typically ₹4 – 6 Cr p.a.).
  • Year-1 reality: most teams lose money — book is ramping, fixed costs front-loaded, cohorts not yet matured.
  • The unit economics are proof-of-concept that the business model works; the challenge is scale.
  • Yield compression — if competitive pressure pushes APR to 18%, gross revenue falls ~10%; profitability collapses.
  • NPA spike — if credit cost rises to 5% from 2.5%, pre-tax flips to ~₹0.55 Cr from ₹2.33 Cr.
  • Slow book ramp — if ₹30 Cr takes 18 months instead of 12, year-1 P&L is sharply worse.

Own-book at ₹30 Cr is viable as a foundation but not a sustainable business. The team’s existence depends on either:

  • Layering co-lending fast (Scenario B).
  • Raising more equity to grow own book to ₹75+ Cr.

Both are time-bounded — at ₹30 Cr you have ~18 – 24 months of runway with reasonable equity to either scale or pivot.