In an exclusive interview with Forbes India, Edelweiss Chairman Rashesh Shah talks about the ill-fated bet with real estate loans, the NBFC pivot, his plans to reduce debt and the turnaround of the group that remains a work in progress
Rashesh Shah, Chairman, Edelweiss
Image: Mexy Xavier
Five years ago, Rashesh Shah was fighting for survival. A large bet that Edelweiss, the financial services conglomerate he founded, had taken on real estate loans turned sour. Out of a total 100 developer loans, as many as 40 were not paying on time. When interest payments are not made, loans have to be marked as non-performing. On its part, Edelweiss had to continue to meet its obligations to debtors. It was a classic asset-liability mismatch and it almost sunk the group.
Today, Shah, who turned 60 recently, is in a feisty mood. His sense of optimism over the future comes out multiple times during an hour-long interview with Forbes India. Admittedly he still has a long way to go in deleveraging the group, but he can take heart from the fact that most loans were paid off and others sold to asset reconstruction companies that buy bad loans on the cheap. He wound down Edelweiss’ loan book at a furious pace from Rs20,000 crore to Rs4,000 crore at last count, and plans to bring it closer to Rs1,000 crore in the next few years. In the process, Shah got a lifeline and lives to fight another day. For now, his stated aim is to work on making Edelweiss a leaner machine that incubates businesses and spins them off.