📌 At a Glance:
Capital Trust Limited is loading up its leadership cannon with industry veterans to double down on its secured MSME lending game. With Ashutosh Singh as Dy COO – Secured Micro LAP and Rajendra Kumar Thotakura as Head of Credit, the NBFC is building its muscle in the small business lending space, targeting property-backed loans in Bharat’s overlooked geographies.
🏢 About the Company
- Name: Capital Trust Limited
- Incorporation: 1985
- CIN: L65923DL1985PLC195299
- Sector: Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC)
- Focus Area: Rural and semi-urban MSME lending
- Headquarters: New Delhi
- Website: capitaltrust.in
Capital Trust has built its reputation by lending to the real Bharat — Tier 3 and 4 India — where banks still demand three IDs, two gods, and one miracle to approve a loan.
🧠 The Strategic Shakeup: Two New Bosses in the House
🚀 1. Ashutosh Singh – Dy COO – Secured Micro LAP
- Experience: 20+ years in secured lending
- Previous Gigs: Aye Finance, Electronica Finance, ICICI Bank, Citibank
- Superpower: Building distribution networks in the kind of towns where Flipkart still delivers in 5–7 business days
- Mission: Scale Capital Trust’s secured Micro LAP (Loan Against Property) portfolio — especially in high-potential but low-banking-access areas
🧾 Translation: He knows how to give loans on property, but make it work in India ka asli gaav.
🛡️ 2. Rajendra Kumar Thotakura – Head of Credit
- Experience: 20+ years in credit assessment and underwriting
- Past Employers: HDFC Ltd., Kotak Mahindra Bank, HSBC, ICICI Bank
- Superpower: Sniffing bad loans before they become headline news
- Mission: Strengthen underwriting and credit assessment frameworks while the company goes all out on co-lending and secured growth
🧾 Translation: The bouncer at the credit club — if your documents are shady, you ain’t getting in.
🗣️ What the CMD Said (Aka: The Press Quote Moment)
“We are excited to welcome Ashutosh and Rajendra to the Capital Trust family. Their vast experience and strategic insights will add significant strength to our secured MSME lending vertical.”
– Yogen Khosla, Chairman & Managing Director, Capital Trust Ltd.
🎯 He also hinted that they’ve already signed co-lending deals and strategic partnerships with other NBFCs to scale the product. Basically, they’re not just staffing up — they’re weaponizing.
📊 Why MSME Secured Lending is the Hot New Thing
- Tier 3 & 4 Businesses want access to credit but don’t have the CIBIL scores to impress traditional banks.
- Secured loans (especially backed by property) offer a way for small businesses to unlock larger ticket sizes at better rates.
- With NPAs stabilizing and RBI’s guidelines becoming friendlier, this segment is poised for a boom.
🔐 Capital Trust is betting big on this trend with serious skin in the game — leadership skin.
🔗 What Is Secured Micro LAP?
| Parameter | Details |
|---|---|
| Product | Micro Loan Against Property |
| Loan Size | Typically ₹1 lakh to ₹10 lakh |
| Collateral | Residential or commercial property in rural towns |
| Use Case | Business expansion, machinery purchase, shop setup |
| Target Market | Small Kirana owners, local service providers |
| Risk Appetite | Moderate (property-backed) |
So yes, it’s not “startup capital” for unicorns. It’s real liquidity for the thelawala who wants to upgrade his business from a wooden cart to a steel stall.
💸 Financially Speaking
Though this press release didn’t contain financials, here’s a context snapshot from past performance (based on public data):
| Metric (FY24) | Value |
|---|---|
| Total AUM (Assets Under Mgmt) | ₹525 crore+ |
| NIM (Net Interest Margin) | ~10%+ |
| Gross NPA | Sub 2.5% |
| Branches | 230+ across India |
| Digital Penetration | High (mobile onboarding, e-KYC, analytics-led underwriting) |
📉 The company has weathered post-COVID NPAs, regulatory tightening, and fintech disruptions — and is still standing, ready to scale the next lending Everest.
🔍 EduInvesting Take
Capital Trust is doing the smart thing: combining old-school collateral with new-age talent.
- They’re not chasing “no-doc” BNPL kids — they’re giving real loans backed by real property to people with real business needs.
- This leadership hire isn’t just a LinkedIn stunt. Both Ashutosh and Rajendra come from battle-hardened, institution-grade NBFC backgrounds.
- With a proper co-lending stack, digital underwriting, and boots on the ground, Capital Trust might just build the rural version of a private bank’s SME desk.
🎯 Edu Verdict: If India’s Tier 3 economy is the next big opportunity, Capital Trust is sending the right generals to the front.
⚠️ Risks & What to Watch
- Secured lending ≠ no risk: Property title issues, enforcement delays, and rural liquidity cycles can still derail things.
- Scaling too fast? If growth gets ahead of risk systems, the entire LAP book could get LAP-topped.
- Interest rate swings: A high-interest environment can reduce borrowing appetite, even in MSMEs.
📞 Media Contacts
| Name | Role | Contact Info |
|---|---|---|
| Vinod Raina | Chief Financial Officer | vinod.raina@capitaltrust.in |
| Vahin Khosla | Joint Managing Director | vahin.khosla@capitaltrust.in |
🏁 Final Word
Two top hires. One clear strategy. Zero fluff.
Capital Trust isn’t building a vanity empire — they’re assembling a lending war machine for real Bharat. If execution matches intent, the MSME ecosystem might finally get a lender who speaks their language — both digitally and desily.
Tags: Capital Trust, MSME Lending, Micro LAP, Secured Loans, NBFC India, Rural Finance, Tier 3 Bharat, Aye Finance, ICICI Bank, HDFC Credit, EduInvesting
Author: Prashant Marathe
Date: June 7, 2025
Focus Keyword: Capital Trust MSME Lending Strategy
Meta Description: Capital Trust strengthens its MSME lending arm with top hires from ICICI and HDFC. Will this unlock rural Bharat’s next credit wave?
