MANAPPURAM

** Shares of Muthoot Finance MUTT.NS settle 4% higher at 2,542.90 rupees

** Gold loan provider's market capitalisation crosses 1 trillion rupees after recent rally; last at 1.02 trillion rupees

** RBI on Friday relaxed norms for small-ticket loans

** Stock on track to rise for seventh straight session, gaining 23% in the period

** Rally began after country's finance ministry sought easing of RBI proposals on gold loans in late May

** MUTT up 19% YTD vs 40% rise in rival Manappuram Finance MNFL.NS

(Reporting by Nishit Navin in Bengaluru)

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** Shares of Indian gold financiers jump

** Manappuram Finance MNFL.NS up ~3%, while Muthoot Finance MUTT.NS and IIFL Finance IIFL.NS jump ~7% and ~5%, respectively

** Reserve Bank of India will finalise regulations on gold loans by early next week, chief Sanjay Malhotra says

** Adds aims to increase loan-to-value ratio to 85% from 75% currently for loans below 250,000 rupees ($2,916)

** Loan-to-value ratio compares the loan amount to the asset's value

** The proposal of a higher LTV is a big positive and will boost credit growth for gold lenders, especially Muthoot and Manappuram, says Elara Securities analyst Shweta Daptardar

** No credit appraisals required for loans up to 250,000 rupees also positive for these lenders with minimal disruption to existing operational systems, Daptardar adds

** On an avg, MUTT is rated "buy", MNFL "hold" and IIFL "strong buy" - data compiled by LSEG

** YTD MUTT up 14%, MNFL up 28% and IIFL 8% higher

($1 = 85.7180 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Hritam Mukherjee in Bengaluru)

(([email protected];))

** Indian gold loan financiers up between 2% to 8%

** Federal finance ministry seeks relaxation in the new rules on gold loans proposed by the central bank

** Muthoot Finance MUTT.NS up 7.59%, Manappuram Finance MNFL.NS up 3.1% and IIFL Finance up IIFL.NS up 2.16%

** Central bank, in April, proposed tighter rules for monitoring and disbursement of gold loans, often used by low income borrowers

** Finance Ministry proposes small ticket borrowers below 200,000 rupees ($2344.05) should be excluded from the tighter rules to ensure speedy disbursements

** Final rules by central bank yet to be issued as it seeks comments

** MUTT said in mid-May that the proposed central bank regulations could drive borrowers away from formal lenders to unregulated players

(Reporting by Ananta Agarwal in Bengaluru)

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** Gold loan providers Muthoot Finance MUTT.NS and IIFL Finance IIFL.NS extend losses from Wednesday, losing 6% and 1.2% respectively; markets shut on Thursday

** Manappuram Finance MNFL.NS inches up 0.2%

** India's central bank proposed stricter rules for gold loan providers on Wednesday, including cap of 75% on loan-to-value ratio, standardised procedure to assess gold purity, rules on collateral management

** Kotak Institutional Equities downgrades MUTT to 'ADD' from 'BUY', moderating growth and margin assumptions

** Says it expects overhang of regulatory changes to temper stock performance

** Macquarie says LTV rules could reduce effective LTV of product given buffers needed for gold price fluctuations, interest payments, while new rules on collateral management could hit potential demand

** Muthoot Finance fell 6.7%, IIFL Finance lose 2.5%, Manappuram Finance declined 1.8% on Wednesday after RBI proposal

** Broader market .NSEI climbs 1.6% on Friday on U.S. tariff reprieve .BO

(Reporting by Chris Thomas in Bengaluru)

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** Shares of Muthoot Finance MUTT.NS tank 10%, IIFL Finance IIFL.NS slide 7% and Manappuram Finance MNFL.NS dip 3%
** In its monetary policy review on Wednesday, India's central bank said it will to issue comprehensive regulations on prudential norms and conduct-related aspects for gold loan providers
** Reuters reported last month that the Reserve Bank of India plans to ask lenders to follow stricter underwriting processes for gold loans

** This is MUTT's worst one-day pct drop since August 2022, IIFL's worst pct fall since March 2024

** MUTT down 3.2% YTD, IIFL down 24.4% YTD.

** YTD, MNFL up 18%

(Reporting by Sethuraman NR in Bengaluru)

(([email protected]; (+91 9945291420); Reuters Messaging: [email protected]))

March 25 (Reuters) - Manappuram Finance Ltd MNFL.NS:

• MANAPPURAM FINANCE LTD - BOARD TO MEET ON MARCH 29 TO CONSIDER BORROWING PROGRAM

• MANAPPURAM FINANCE LTD - TO CONSIDER BORROWING PROGRAM FOR FY 2025-26

Source text: ID:nBSE4Tf9VS

Further company coverage: MNFL.NS

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March 21 (Reuters) - Shares of Manappuram Finance MNFL.NS jumped about 6% in early trade on Friday, following the announcement that Bain Capital will acquire an 18% stake in the company at a premium to the stock's last closing price, prompting analysts to raise their price targets on the company.

Manappuram shares gained as much as 5.8% to 230 rupees as of 9:23 a.m. IST, hitting their highest in over eight months. They were last up 1.3%.

Bain Capital will subscribe to Manappuram's shares and warrants at 236 rupees apiece, implying an almost 9% premium over its last trading price of 217.5 rupees, and will jointly control the company with existing promoters after the investment.

(Reporting by Manvi Pant in Bengaluru; Editing by Eileen Soreng)

(([email protected]; +918447554364;))

March 20 (Reuters) - Manappuram Finance Ltd MNFL.NS:

• MANAPPURAM FINANCE LTD - BAIN CAPITAL TO ACQUIRE JOINT CONTROL IN MANAPPURAM FINANCE

• MANAPPURAM FINANCE LTD - BAIN CAPITAL TO INVEST 43.85 BILLION RUPEES FOR 18% STAKE IN MANAPPURAM FINANCE

• MANAPPURAM FINANCE LTD - TRANSACTION TRIGGERS MANDATORY OPEN OFFER FOR ADDITIONAL 26% STAKE AT 236 RUPEES PER SHARE

• MANAPPURAM FINANCE LTD - EXISTING PROMOTERS TO HOLD 28.9% STAKE POST INVESTMENT

• MANAPPURAM FINANCE LTD - INVESTMENT AT A PREMIUM OF 30% OVER 6 MONTH AVERAGE TRADING PRICE

Source text: ID:nBSE984K4F

Further company coverage: MNFL.NS

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** Shares of Muthoot Finance MUTT.NS rise 2.4% to 2235 rupees, set to snap three-straight days of losses

** Gold loans financier gets the Reserve Bank of India's permission to open 115 new branches

** Avg. analysts' rating on the stock is "Buy" vs "Hold" on peer Manappuram Finance MNFL.NS; median PT on MUTT is 2490.5 rupees - LSEG data

** Stock up 4% so far this year, after a 45% jump last year

(Reporting by Aleef Jahan in Bengaluru)

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** Shares of Manappuram Finance MNFL.NS climb as much as 3.8% to 209 rupees, last up 2.7%

** Bain Capital is nearing deal worth $1 bln with top shareholders of MNFL, The Economic Times newspaper reported

** Deal to acquire controlling stake in the gold loan financier, report added, citing sources

** Manappuram and Bain did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comments

** Over 17.6 mln shares traded vs 30-day avg of 12.7 mln shares

** MNFL rated "hold" on avg, peer Muthoot Finance MUTT.NS rated "buy" - LSEG data

** Year-to-date, MNFL, MUTT up ~7%, ~4%, respectively

(Reporting by Manvi Pant in Bengaluru)

(([email protected]; +918447554364;))

** Shares of gold loan provider Manappuram Finance MNFL.NNS fall 11% this week, set for worst week since mid-Oct

** On the day, co down 5.1% at 184.1 rupees after third-quarter profit miss, hurt by stress in its microfinance business

** Of 13 analysts covering the stock, at least four downgraded MNFL after results; however, avg rating is "buy" - LSEG data

** YTD stock has lost 2.4%

(Reporting by Hritam Mukherjee in Bengaluru)

(([email protected];))

BENGALURU, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Indian gold loan financier Manappuram Finance MNFL.NS reported a third-quarter profit that missed analysts' estimates on Thursday, hurt by the stress in its microfinance business, including a quarter-long ban from issuing loans.

The company's consolidated net profit halved to 2.82 billion rupees ($32.5 million) in the quarter, missing analysts' average estimate of 4.59 billion rupees, as per data compiled by LSEG.

Indian lenders have seen rising default rates in microfinance loans, or collateral-free small loans to borrowers, following a period of aggressive lending in the segment.

Bad loans and provisions in Manappuram's microfinance unit surged four-fold to 4.73 billion rupees, accounting for a large chunk of total company-wide provisions of 5.55 billion rupees in the October to December quarter.

At the start of the period, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had barred the unit from sanctioning and disbursing loans due to "usurious" pricing and for charging a significant mark-up over funding costs. The RBI lifted the ban last month.

As a result, revenue in its microfinance business dropped around 5% to 6.65 billion rupees in the quarter.

However, revenue from Manappuram's gold loan portfolio, which contributes 75% of total revenue, rose 17%, aided by gold prices jumping to record highs.

Rising gold prices increase how much a customer can borrow against bullion, benefiting gold financiers in terms of loans issued.

The company's net interest income rose 5%.

While Manappuram missed analysts estimates, its larger rival Muthoot Finance MUTT.NS rode the increase in gold prices to report a bigger-than-expected quarterly profit on Wednesday.

($1 = 86.8680 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Nishit Navin; Editing by Savio D'Souza)

(([email protected];))

Adds RBI lifting restrictions on Kotak Mahindra Bank

Jan 9 (Reuters) - The Reserve Bank of India has started to ease curbs on non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) and banks after they improved their compliance following a series of supervisory restrictions.

High interest rates and tighter regulations have been cited as contributors to weak demand and a slowdown in India's economic growth, including by the federal finance ministry in a recent report.

The Indian central bank also got a new chief in December with Sanjay Malhotra taking over from Shaktikanta Das.

The following is a list of companies whose restrictions have been removed by the RBI.

KOTAK MAHINDRA BANK

The Reserve Bank of India on Wednesday lifted restrictions on Kotak Mahindra Bank KTKM.NS that had barred the lender from taking on new customers via its online and mobile banking channels, and from issuing new credit cards.

RBI had imposed business restrictions on the lender , asking it to stop adding clients through its online and mobile banking channels and issuing credit cards due to gaps in its IT infrastructure.

ASIRVAD MICRO FINANCE, DMI FINANCE, AROHAN FINANCIAL SERVICES, NAVI FINSERV

The RBI, last month, removed restrictions imposed on DMI Finance and Manappuram Finance-owned MNFL.NS Asirvad Micro Finance with immediate effect.

The regulator had in October barred the two companies, along with Arohan Financial Services and Navi Finserv, from sanctioning and disbursing loans due to "usurious" pricing and charging a significant mark-up over their funding costs.

The same restrictions on Arohan were lifted last week, and from Navi in December.

EDELWEISS ASSET RECONSTRUCTION, ECL FINANCE

The central bank last month lifted restrictions on Edelweiss Asset Reconstruction and ECL Finance, first imposed in May 2024, which barred them from acquiring financial assets or undertaking structured transactions.

The regulator was satisfied with the measures taken to address what it had called "evergreening" of distressed loans.

JM FINANCIAL

A unit of financial services firm JM Financial JMSH.NS in October resumed financing activities related to shares and debentures, including loans for IPO subscriptions after the central bank ended restrictive measures.

The RBI in March barred JM Financial Products from issuing such loans, due to regulatory violations and governance concerns.

IIFL FINANCE

In September, the RBI permitted IIFL Finance to resume issuance of gold loans.

The central bank had barred it from offering gold loans in March, citing concerns about its assessment of gold collateral and violations of the maximum permitted loan-to-value ratio, among other issues.

BAJAJ FINANCE

The RBI in May reversed curbs imposed on India's largest NBFC, Bajaj Finance, allowing it to restart loan disbursals under two of its lending products.

The restrictions were levied in November 2023 due to non-adherence with the central bank's digital lending guidelines.

(Reporting by Nandan Mandayam and Kashish Tandon in Bengaluru; Editing by Varun H K)

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Jan 9 (Reuters) - Shares of Indian gold loan financier Manappuram Finance MNFL.NS rose as much as 6% on Thursday, a day after the country's central bank removed restrictions imposed on the company's unit.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had in October barred four non-banking financial companies (NBFCs), which included Manappuram's unit Asirvad Micro Finance, from issuing loans due to "usurious" pricing and high markups.

The central bank removed these restrictions with immediate effect on Wednesday, saying the companies initiated remedial measures and submitted compliance reports, satisfying the regulator.

Manappuram's shares had fallen 21% to a more than one-year low following the ban, but recovered to pre-ban levels in December. They were last trading up 5% at 9:21 a.m IST.

"Removal of ban was largely expected and reflected in recent rebound in Manappuram's share price to pre-ban levels," Jefferies said, raising price target to 190 rupees from 167 rupees while keeping "hold" rating.

The stock is "buy" rated on average, with a median price target of 187.50 rupees, up from 180 rupees a month ago.

Manappuram's valuation seems attractive, but near-term earnings drag due to stress in microfinance portfolio can weigh on valuations, the brokerage said.

(Reporting by Sethuraman NR; Editing by Varun H K)

(([email protected]; (+91 9945291420); Reuters Messaging: [email protected]))

BENGALURU, Jan 8 (Reuters) - India's central bank said on Wednesday it has removed restrictions imposed on non-banking financial companies Asirvad Micro Finance and DMI Finance against any fresh loan sanctions and disbursals with immediate effect.

(Reporting by Nishit Navin; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri)

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Dec 20 (Reuters) - Manappuram Finance Ltd MNFL.NS:

• RBI: IMPOSES MONETARY PENALTY OF 2 MILLION RUPEES ON MANAPPURAM FINANCE

Source text: [ID:]

Further company coverage: MNFL.NS

(([email protected];))

BENGALURU, Nov 14 (Reuters) - Indian gold loan provider Muthoot Finance MUTT.NS reported a 26% rise in its second-quarter profit on Thursday, boosted by strong loan demand, and raised its gold loan growth forecast for the financial year 2025.

The company's standalone quarterly profit rose to 12.51 billion rupees from 9.91 billion rupees a year earlier.

This was largely in line with analysts' average estimate of 12.58 billion rupees, according to data compiled by LSEG.

Domestic gold MAUc1 prices surged to record highs during the quarter, driving loan growth for lenders such as Muthoot Finance and Manappuram Finance MNFL.NS.

Rising prices of bullion benefit gold financiers as they increase the value of collateral gold and as more customers seek loans against higher-valued assets.

The company also revised its annual forecast for gold loan growth to 25% from a prior view of 15%, Managing Director George Alexander Muthoot said in a statement.

Muthoot's standalone loan assets under management jumped about 31% to 901.97 billion rupees as of the quarter ended Sept. 30, helped by a 28% jump in its core gold loan portfolio.

The company's interest income rose about 35% to 40.69 billion rupees.

Earlier this month, Manappuram Finance reported an unexpected growth in second-quarter profit as strong performance in its mainstay gold loan segment offset higher provisions.

Shares of Muthoot Finance ended 0.3% higher ahead of the results on Thursday.

(Reporting by Nishit Navin and Dimpal Gulwani; Editing by Shreya Biswas)

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Nov 5 (Reuters) - Manappuram Finance Ltd MNFL.NS:

• Q2 CONSOL NET PROFIT 5.71 BILLION RUPEES; IBES EST. 5.31 BILLION RUPEES

• Q2 CONSOL INTEREST INCOME 25.41 BILLION RUPEES

• DIVIDEND OF 1 RUPEE PER SHARE

Source text: [ID:]

Further company coverage: MNFL.NS

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** Gold loan financier Manappuram Finance MNFL.NS slides 15% to 150.73 rupees, lowest in 10 months

** India's central bank barred four non-bank finance companies, including MNFL's unit Asirvad Micro Finance, from sanctioning and disbursing loans from Oct. 21

** Jefferies downgrades to "hold" from "buy", cuts TP by 6% to 167 rupees as RBI restrictions expected to hurt profit

** Says earnings to take a hit on unwinding of microfinance loans and possible rise in defaults at Asirvad, which forms 27% of MNFL's consol AUM

** Cuts FY25-26 loan book by 13-15% over the ban, which it expects will remain through FY25

** Stock rated "buy" on avg; median PT is 230 rupees - LSEG

** MNFL down 7% YTD vs rival Muthoot Finance's MUTT.NS ~32% rise

(Reporting by Dimpal Gulwani in Bengaluru)

(([email protected]))

Adds Asirvad Micro Finance's response in paragraph 9

By Swati Bhat and Siddhi Nayak

MUMBAI, Oct 17 (Reuters) - India's central bank barred four non-bank finance companies (NBFCs) from sanctioning and disbursing loans due to "usurious" pricing and for charging a significant mark-up over their funding costs, it said in a release on Thursday.

The restrictions on Asirvad Micro Finance, Arohan Financial Services, DMI Finance and Navi Finserv will be effective from the close of business on Oct. 21, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said.

The NBFCs' pricing policies and the interest spread they charged over their cost of funds were found to be excessive and did not adhere to regulations, the RBI said.

The companies also did not adhere with the regulatory guidelines on assessment of household income of their microfinance loan borrowers and their repayment capability, the RBI said.

It also noted deviations in norms leading to ever-greening of loans and non-transparency in disclosing interest rates and fees to customers among other things.

The companies continued with these practices despite the RBI asking them, over the last few months, to use their regulatory freedom responsibly and ensure fair, reasonable and transparent pricing, especially for small-value loans, the regulator said.

The ban does not preclude the companies from servicing existing customers and carrying out collection and recovery processes as per rules, the RBI said.

A spokesperson for Navi Finserv, started by Sachin Bansal, founder of Indian e-commerce giant Flipkart, said the company was reviewing the circular and was committed to addressing all concerns raised "promptly and effectively".

Asirvad Micro Finance said in a statement its board has convened an urgent meeting to take immediate action with respect to the RBI order. The company is working on a "detailed plan" and will submit the same to the RBI within the stipulated timeline, it said.

DMI Finance and Arohan Financial did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comments.

The RBI would review its decision once the companies confirm they have taken remedial action, it added.

Some Indian NBFCs are aggressively pursuing growth and chasing excessive returns on equity, which could pose financial stability risks, the central bank governor Shaktikanta Das said last week.

Over the past year, the RBI has warned the financial sector against "all forms of exuberance", tightened rules for credit card and personal loans, made it more expensive for NBFCs to borrow from banks and imposed restrictions on non-compliant entities.

These steps have cooled overall bank loan growth across the sector to 13.6% in August from 15% a year ago.

Navi Finserv's loan book stood at 80.37 billion rupees as of March end, and Arohan's at 661.57 million rupees for the same period.

DMI Finance's loan book totalled 118.43 billion rupees as of March end, while Asirvad's, a unit of Manappuram Finance MNFL.NS, stood at 1.03 billion rupees.

(Reporting by Siddhi Nayak; Editing by Savio D'Souza and Shinjini Ganguli)

(([email protected]; +91 22 6921 7848; Reuters Messaging: X: https://twitter.com/siddhiVnayak))

** Indian non-bank gold lenders Muthoot Finance MUTT.NS and Manappuram Finance MNFL.NS drop 2% and 3%, respectively

** India's central bank RBI said on Monday it found "several irregular practices" in the industry

** Major deficiencies include shortcomings in the use of third parties for the sourcing and appraisal of loans, not valuing gold in the customer's presence, inadequate due diligence and a lack of monitoring of borrowed funds

** Non-compliance with regulatory guidelines could attract supervisory action by the central bank, RBI warned

** Avg rating of MUTT and MNFL "buy" - LSEG

** YTD, MUTT and MNFL up 35% and 15%, respectively, trimming yearly gains

(Reporting by Ashna Teresa Britto in Bengaluru)

(([email protected] ; ( +91 8078332441))

** Shares of gold loan financier Muthoot Finance MUTT.NS down 2.5% in afternoon trade

** Shares of MUTT and Manappuram Finance MNFL.NS, which have benefitted from higher gold prices over the last few months, could be at a higher risk of giving up gains in the near term, says Morgan Stanley

** MS comments come after India's cenbank lifted restrictions on IIFL Finance's IIFL.NS gold loan business on Thursday

** MUTT is more likely to underperform than MNFL after the lifting of restrictions on IIFL Finance IIFL.NS, brokerage says; MNFL shares are flat

** MUTT had gained 52% since RBI imposed curbs on IIFL in March; MNFL up 12% over the same period, while IIFL shed 14%

** With RBI lifting its curbs on IIFL on Thursday, the company can resume sanctions, disbursements, assignment, securitisation and sale of gold loans; Its shares are up 8.5%

(Reporting by Bharath Rajeswaran in Bengaluru)

(([email protected]; +91 9769003463;))

** IIFL Finance IIFL.NS slides 6.2% to 496 rupees

** Non-bank finance co faces downgrade risks as a regulatory ban on its gold loan business remains unresolved, Bloomberg News reports

** Report adds that a potential downgrade may pressure the firm's borrowing channels and could cut more than 9,000 jobs if ban persists

** In March, RBI ordered co to stop disbursing gold loans over "material supervisory concerns" in its gold loan portfolio

** Stock has declined ~14% since March 4, when the RBI action came in

** YTD, IIFL is down ~15% vs Muthoot Finance MUTT.NS and Manappuram Finance MNFL.NS gaining ~37% and ~19%, respectively

(Reporting by Dimpal Gulwani in Bengaluru)

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** Shares of Indian jewellers jump 4-20%; gold financers gain as much as 4%

** Gold at record high on US rate cut optimism

** Tribhovandas Bhimji Zaveri TBZL.NS surges 20% and PC Jeweller PCJE.NS jumps 5%, both hit exchange-allowed upper limit

** Kalyan Jewellers KALN.NS and Senco Gold SENC.NS climb 6.3% and 4.1%, respectively, hit record highs

** Gold financiers Muthoot Finance MUTT.NS and Manappuram Finance MNFL.NS advance 2.6% and ~4% respectively

(Reporting by Hritam Mukherjee in Bengaluru)

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MUMBAI, Aug 16 (Reuters) - India's Manappuram Finance MNFL.NS has accepted bids worth 3.45 billion rupees ($41.11 million) for bonds maturing in two years, three bankers said on Friday.

It had invited coupon and commitment bids for the issue earlier in the day.

Here is the list of deals reported so far on Aug. 16:

*Size includes base plus greenshoe for some issues

($1 = 83.9210 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Bhakti Tambe; Editing by Janane Venkatraman)

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BENGALURU, Aug 13 (Reuters) - India's largest gold loan provider, Muthoot Finance MUTT.NS, reported a smaller-than-expected first-quarter profit on Tuesday, as higher impairment charges and finance costs outpaced strong loan demand on the back of elevated gold prices.

The company's profit rose about 11% to 10.79 billion rupees (nearly $129 million) for the quarter ended June 30.

Analysts had expected 11.71 billion rupees, according to LSEG data.

Muthoot recorded a more than two-fold jump in impairment charges stemming from excess provisions on loan assets made in previous accounting periods.

Finance costs also rose 27%, as Indian lenders faced pressure from borrowing costs that have stayed at elevated levels, with the central bank keeping the interest rates unchanged for nine straight policy meetings.

The two pushed total expenses 30% higher to 22.18 billion rupees.

Muthoot's standalone loan assets under management grew 25% year-on-year to 843.24 billion rupees on strong loan growth as India's gold prices soared to a record high and drove more customers to seek loans against their higher-valued assets.

Analysts also pointed to lower competitive intensity in the market after the central bank banned IIFL Finance IIFL.NS from disbursing gold loans in March, benefitting other gold loan players.

Muthoot's interest income rose 23.6% to 36.56 billion rupees.

Smaller rival Manappuram Finance MNFL.NS reported a rise in first-quarter profit on strong gold-loan growth.

Muthoot's shares ended 2% lower ahead of the results.

($1 = 83.9380 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Dimpal Gulwani in Bengaluru; Editing by Janane Venkatraman )

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Aug 5 (Reuters) - Manappuram Finance Ltd MNFL.NS:

• TO CONSIDER ISSUE OF NON–CONVERTIBLE DEBENTURES

Further company coverage: MNFL.NS

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July 26 (Reuters) - Manappuram Finance Ltd MNFL.NS:

• POTENTIAL FRAUD PERPETUATED BY AN EMPLOYEE OF CO'S UNIT

• ESTIMATED QUANTUM OF POTENTIAL FRAUD IS 200 MILLION RUPEES

Source text for Eikon: ID:nBSE6Q7ffJ

Further company coverage: MNFL.NS

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July 22 (Reuters) - Manappuram Finance Ltd MNFL.NS:

• MANAPPURAM FINANCE - TO CONSIDER ISSUE OF NON - CONVERTIBLE DEBENTURES

Source text for Eikon: ID:nBSE2NwHjq

Further company coverage: MNFL.NS

(([email protected];))

** Shares of Manappuram Finance Ltd MNFL.NS and India's biggest gold financier Muthoot Finance Ltd MUTT.NS rise as much as 3.3% and 2.8%, respectively

** Jefferies initiates both gold financiers with "buy", sees them reporting higher loan growth that would outperform other non-bank lenders

** Brokerage highlights gold loan firms' low risks to asset quality and high returns while also flagging MNFL and MUTT's cheap valuations

** However, Jefferies sees competition increasing once ban on IIFL Finance IIFL.NS issuing gold loans is lifted by RBI

** Analysts tracking MNFL rate it "strong buy" on avg, with Jefferies' 270 rupees PT a Street-high

** MUTT is rated "buy" on avg, and Jefferies' 2,220 rupees PT is second highest on Street

** MNFL and MUTT extend YTD gains to 33% and ~26%, respectively vs IIFL's 16.6% fall

(Reporting by Nandan Mandayam in Bengaluru)

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