Sanima Bank Liquidity & Sectoral Lending Performance Review

As of Asadh 2082 (Mid-July 2025), Sanima Bank Limited presents a balanced yet competitive profile in terms of liquidity and sectoral lending. The bank reported deposits of Rs. 225,482 million and loans of Rs. 185,732 million, leading to a CD ratio of 81.03%. This ratio is slightly above the overall industry average of 76.63%, suggesting that Sanima is deploying a higher proportion of its deposits into loans. While this indicates efficient utilization of resources, it also means the bank has less liquidity buffer compared to more conservative peers.

When it comes to liquidity indicators, Sanima’s net liquidity ratio of 30.95% is moderately healthy, reflecting a cautious approach in maintaining liquid assets to cover short-term obligations. However, compared to top performers like Standard Chartered with 46.33%, Sanima has a leaner cushion, signaling that further growth in lending must be matched by stronger deposit mobilization.

In terms of sectoral lending compliance, Sanima has done well to align with NRB’s mandated requirements. It has allocated 11.92% to agriculture (minimum 11%), 13.14% to energy (well above the 6.5% minimum), and 7.88% to MCSME (short of the 11% requirement). This shows strong commitment to agriculture and energy financing but highlights a shortfall in SME sector engagement, which could become a regulatory and strategic challenge if not addressed.

From a risk-return perspective, Sanima maintains CAR at 13.01% and CCAR at 9.86%, providing adequate solvency buffers, while its spread rate of 3.68% shows average profitability from lending operations. The challenge, however, lies in improving asset quality and diversifying lending more aggressively into the SME segment, which is considered the backbone of Nepal’s economy.