Punjab National Bank (PNB), the country's second-largest public sector lender, expects its credit card and cash management services verticals to generate around ₹200 crore each in quarterly profit from the next financial year. The bank is stepping up its focus on digital businesses to boost fee-based income, having created dedicated digital platforms for credit cards, supply chain management and cash management services, each headed by a general manager, PNB Managing Director and CEO Ashok Chandra told PTI in an interview.
Chandra said PNB's credit card business, which started in 2008, had a base of around 6.04 lakh cards till March 2025. After the digital platform rollout, the bank added another 5 lakh cards over the subsequent nine months, taking the total to around 11 lakh. The bank has also launched its premium PNB Metal Credit Card Luxura, which has attracted 27,140 customers so far. PNB aims to expand its overall credit card base to more than 13 lakh and to have at least 30,000 premium cardholders by March 2027.S1S2
On supply chain finance, the bank has built an end-to-end digital platform for dealer and vendor financing. Within nine months of launching the vertical, PNB has recorded sanctions of approximately ₹7,800 crore, with an outstanding portfolio of around ₹5,200 crore. Cash management services already contribute around ₹130-140 crore in profit every quarter, and the bank expects the vertical to reach its ₹200 crore quarterly target from the first quarter of the next financial year.S1
The initiatives are aimed at strengthening non-interest income amid anticipated challenges in treasury earnings and loan recoveries. Chandra said the cost-to-income ratio stood at 50.38 per cent in the first half of the current fiscal year, down from 53.3 per cent in September 2025. PNB aims to bring it below 50 per cent this financial year and to around 45 per cent by 2028-29, with every review meeting now focusing on the cost of deposits, yield on advances, fee-based income and ways to cut operating expenses.S1
