Axis Bank Confident of Outpacing Industry Growth with Balanced Profitability

New Delhi: Axis Bank is confident of growing ahead of the industry while maintaining an optimal balance between growth and margins, according to its MD and CEO Amitabh Chaudhry.

The focus remains on building a high-quality and durable franchise through stronger execution across businesses, he said on Thursday in the annual report in his address to shareholders.

"We enter the new financial year with confidence in our strategy, strength in our balance sheet and clarity of purpose...we are confident in our ability to grow ahead of the industry, while aiming to strike an optimal balance between growth and margins," he said.

During the 2025-26 fiscal, the bank's net profit declined by 7 per cent to Rs 24,457 crore as against Rs 26,373 crore in the preceding financial year. The private lender's profit before tax dropped 14 per cent to Rs 29,554 crore compared to Rs 34,346 crore in FY25, as per the annual report.

The bank's fee income declined by 33 per cent to Rs 1,374 crore from Rs 2,059 crore in the preceding financial year.

During FY26, he said, Axis Bank gained market share on total advances and deposits, delivering net advances growth of 19 per cent and deposits growth of 14 per cent, while maintaining the CASA ratio at 40 per cent.

The consolidated Return on Assets (RoA) at 1.46 per cent and Return on Equity (RoE) at 13.59 per cent continue to remain healthy, he said.

The bank has surpassed 6,000 branches, an expansion that not only deepened our presence but also strengthened the lender's ability to serve customers across India more meaningfully through tech enablement.

Cost to assets improved to 2.28 per cent, down by 18 bps, reflecting disciplined cost management alongside improving scale, he said.

Importantly, he said, "these efficiencies were achieved even as we expanded our physical footprint, adding 400 branches during the year. Our continued investments in digitisation and technology are now translating into tangible operating leverage".

The bank remains committed to building India's most profitable Bharat Banking franchise, combining reach, relevance and disciplined economics.

"Our strategy in Bharat Banking is anchored on moving beyond traditional agri-centric lending to capture the end-to-end RuSu value chain, enabling us to drive both asset growth and granular liability mobilisation," he said.

Through focused market scoping, the bank is identifying high-potential rural and semi-urban pockets, and deploying segment-specific, tailored propositions to deepen customer relationships and enhance wallet share, the MD said.

This approach is enabling the bank to build a more diversified and resilient Bharat portfolio, he added.