Kotak Mahindra Bank Q3 FY26 – India’s Fourth-Largest Bank Pulls a Digital, Regulatory, and Earnings Gymnastics Routine, Did Anyone Notice the ₹11.75 Lakh Crore Contingent Liabilities?

1. At a Glance

Welcome to the grand circus of Indian private banking! Kotak Mahindra Bank—India’s fourth-largest in both deposits and advances—just posted a Q3 FY26 consolidated PAT of ₹4,924 crore on ₹17,507 crore in revenue, all while dodging RBI bouncers and digitally onboarding 5 crore customers (except, oops, not anymore—thanks, RBI ban!). With a market cap of ₹4.2 lakh crore and a not-so-humble stock P/E of 22.4, this bank flexes a NIM of 5.3%, Gross NPA at a “blink and you’ll miss it” 1.39%, and a CASA ratio that dropped from 61% to 45.5% (yes, the only thing falling faster is your new year’s resolution). And let’s not ignore the 25.9% promoter holding (steady as your neighbour’s WiFi), a barely-there dividend yield of 0.12%, and a profit after tax for FY25 of ₹18,798 crore. Earnings yield? 5.48%—enough to buy some chana for your evening chai.

But why does Kotak look so calm? Maybe because they’re sitting atop ₹11,75,810 crore in contingent liabilities. Or maybe it’s just their zen response to regulatory drama, insurance stake sales, and IT upgrades. Read on as we rip through the numbers, roast the competition, and sprinkle the truth like the Kotak family on a shareholding table.

2. Introduction

Imagine a private sector bank that juggles retail lending, insurance, broking, vehicle finance, and asset management—then still finds time to irritate the RBI enough to get its digital customer onboarding privileges suspended. Welcome to Kotak Mahindra Bank, the banker for everyone from the HNI at Malabar Hill to your next-door uncle who still believes FDs will make him rich.

Once the crown prince of high CASA ratios, digital glory, and risk management, Kotak’s recent act has been more “Bigg Boss house” than “IIT grad CV.” RBI’s April 2024 show-cause was the corporate equivalent of a principal sending a kid home with a red note. But while Kotak’s digital onboarding got paused, the bank’s empire didn’t skip a beat: 1,900+ branches, 3,200+ ATMs, 45% CASA, and still the broking king with 11.8% market share in FY24.

And did someone mention insurance? Because Kotak sure did, by offloading 70% of its general insurance arm to Zurich for a cool ₹5,560 crore. Meanwhile, their asset management AUM ballooned to ₹3.46 lakh crore, and advances raced past ₹3.9 lakh crore. And yes, they even remembered to acquire Sonata Finance, just to keep things spicy in the NBFC-MFI world.

But for all the digital prowess and empire building, does the bank still have its mojo? Let’s break it down—section by section, with enough sarcasm to make your CA jealous.

3. Business Model – WTF Do They Even Do?

Imagine a buffet so huge, even Ambani might be overwhelmed. Kotak Mahindra Bank does:

• Insurance (28% of revenue): Life and General, both, with gross written premiums clocking ₹17,708 crore in FY24. They just sold 70% of general insurance to Zurich. You know, just to fund more IT upgrades (or maybe another digital debacle).
• Retail Banking (27%): Where your salary account is just as likely to be opened by a chatbot as by a bored RM at the branch.
• Corporate & Wholesale Banking (22%): Handing out loans to India Inc. and then sending SMS reminders faster than your ex.
• Treasury (11%): Making money out of thin air (forex, money markets, derivatives), and hoping to never get a call from SEBI.