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Detailed SWOT Analysis of IDFC First Bank – An Indian Private Sector Bank

Updated on: Mar 12, 2022

In our last blog, we discussed the SWOT Analysis of Bajaj Finserv, one of the flourishing NBFCs in India. In this blog, we will dive into an in-depth SWOT analysis of IDFC First Bank – An Indian Private Sector Bank.

Granted by the Reserve bank of India in the year 2014 – IDFC First Bank is a leading Indian private sector bank providing financial services to the public of India. The bank is ranked at 81 among the Fortune India 500 Companies, enabling a convenient banking experience with many industry-first initiatives.

IDFC First Bank is now developing into a digitally-led bank with a pan India presence. The scope for digitally focused fields such as digital marketing is on the rise. If you want to stay up to date, check out our Free MasterClass on Digital Marketing 101 taught by Karan Shah, the CEO and Founder of IIDE.

Before we dive into the SWOT analysis of IDFC First Bank, let us first check out its history.

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About IDFC First Bank

SWOT Analysis of IDFC First Bank - idfc-first-bank

IDFC Bank was started in the year 2015 and it started operating on 1st October 2015. It was formed as a part of an integrated infrastructure finance company. The bank was launched in 2015 under a demerger from IDFC Limited. They started their operation with 23 branches  Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Pune, Chennai, Ahmedabad and Kolkata. 15 branches are in settlements with a population of less than 10,000. In Honnali and Karnataka, IDFC First Bank launched its 100th branch in October 2017.

The Bank offers loans, deposits, payment products and services. In addition, it has strived to diversify into savings products such as deposits, payments banking, distribution of third party products and additional credit products, establishing its position as a comprehensive provider of financial products and services.

 

Quick Stats on IDFC First Bank
Founder V. Vaidyanathan
Year Founded 2015
Origin Mumbai, India
No. of Employees 20,000+
Company Type Public
Market Cap Rs 26,135.09 Crore (2022)
Annual Revenue US$620 Million (2020)
Net Income/ Profit Rs 151.7 Crore (2021)

 

Products & Services by IDFC First Bank

  • Consumer banking
  • Credit cards
  • Home loans
  • Loans against property
  • Personal loans
  • Consumer Durable loans
  • Vehicle loans
  • Business loans
  • Micro-Enterprise loans
  • Private banking
  • Wealth management
  • Investment banking
  • Corporate banking
  • Wholesale banking


Competitors of IDFC First Bank

  • HDFC Bank
  • TriState Capital
  • Bank Hapoalim
  • Piraeus Bank
  • Heritage Bank
  • Bank Leumi


Now that we have an understanding of the company, let us dive into an in-depth SWOT analysis of IDFC First Bank.


SWOT Analysis of IDFC First Bank

SWOT analysis is a framework used to assess a company’s competitiveness and make strategic plans. SWOT analysis assesses internal and external factors as well as current and future potential. SWOT analysis is a strategic planning tool that AU managers can use to perform situational analysis of their organization.

To better understand the SWOT analysis of IDFC First Bank, refer to the infographic below:

SWOT Analysis of IDFC First Bank - SWOT Infographics of IDFC First Bank

So from the following SWOT Analysis of IDFC First Bank, let us first have a look into the strengths of IDFC First Bank.

Strengths of IDFC First Bank

Strengths are the positive points of the organisation that help it to grow its position in the market and lead to the company’s success. Here are the strengths of IDFC First Bank:

  • Healthy Customer Base: In 2021, IDFC First Bank had a customer base of around a whopping 7.3 million people and has been growing ever since. It has also listened to its customers’ financial needs and built strong relationships with them through one-on-one contact.
  • Broad Range of Portfolio: One biggest strength that IDFC First Bank has is that it offers a wide range of financial and consulting services to its customers ranging from investment banking, asset management, private banking and insurance, which give it an edge over other competitors banks.
  • Talent Management: IDFC First Bank has a highly skilled workforce. This is due to their excellent training and learning programs. Human resources are an integral part of the success of IDFC First Bank in the consumer financial services industry.
  • Strong Brand Recognition: IDFC First Bank’s products and services are highly recognized in the consumer financial services industry for the last 10+ years. This allowed the company to charge a premium compared to its competitors in the consumer financial services industry.
  • Government Support: In 2014, the Reserve Bank of India added the bank to its list of commercial banks, reducing the cost of short-term funding and improving the ability of banks to serve, further enhancing the bank’s growth prospects.
  • Limited Competitive Overlap: IDFC First Bank has little geographical overlap with other small financial banks, limiting competition among existing players.

SWOT Analysis of IDFC First Bank - IDFC Add

  • Brand Ambassador: On 11 March 2020, the bank announced that it has signed Mr Amitabh Bachchan, as its first brand ambassador and bank tie-ups with the popular Indian television show KBC, helping IDFC First Bank to attract more customers to its bank and boost-up bank recognition.


Weaknesses of IDFC First Bank

The weaknesses are the negative points on which the brand must improve upon. For IDFC First Bank, the following are its weaknesses:

  • Declining Market Share: This is due to the consumer financial services industry growing at a faster rate than the company. In such a scenario, IDFC First Bank needs to carefully analyse various trends within the financial sector to understand what to do to drive future growth.
  • High Cost to Replace Existing Professionals: Few employees are responsible for the knowledge base of IDFC First Bank, and their replacement will take up a lot of time and money for the company.
  • Rising Interest Risk: As the company is primarily wholesale-funded, rising interest rates can negatively impact borrowing costs and thus profitability.
  • Easily Imitable Business Model: The Business Model of ICBC can be easily imitated by the competitors in the industry name industry. To overcome these challenges company name needs to build a platform model that can integrate suppliers, vendors, and end-users.
  • Need to Invest More in New Technologies: According to the country’s scale of expansion and the geographical areas IDFC First Bank needs to invest more funds in technology to coordinate the processes across the board. Currently, the investment in technology is not on par with the vision of the company.


Opportunities for IDFC First Bank

Opportunities are external elements that are in favour of the company and the firm can use it to its advantage to grow. The opportunities of IDFC First Bank are given below

  • Advancements in Technology in the Banking Sector: The banking industry has always functioned based on technology. IDFC First Bank is known for its best-in-class user-friendly digital banking offerings. Thus, IDFC First Bank should continue to adopt the latest technological advances. To draw future generations, they should focus on putting out newer banking and financial service using digital marketing skills.

Wait a minute. You might be thinking that what are digital marketing skills? Well, digital marketing skills include various subparts of digital marketing such as website building, SEO, social media marketing, e-commerce, online reputation and many more. You can check out IIDE 13+ short term courses in digital marketing which includes all of these. These courses can get you up to speed in as little as 5 days in a range of digital skills and expertise. 

  • Growth Potential: IDFC First Bank operates in under-penetrated sectors such as vehicle finance, MSME and small enterprise finances which offers it strong growth potential.
  • Product Growth Potential: The bank is yet to launch several other major lending banking products and hence has greater growth potential. 
  • Expanding the Customer Base in Upper Segments: As customers must move from unorganised operators in the banking sector to licensed players, IDFC First Bank has the opportunity to enter the entry-level market.
  • Global Opportunities for IDFC First Bank: A major opportunity for financial service players in the Indian market is the global banking market, it is inarguably that the global market is worth billions of dollars. IDFC First Bank is mainly focused on the Indian market, which needs to increase its reach outside the Indian market as well making it gain more customers.
  •  


Threats to IDFC First Bank

Threats are external elements that could be detrimental to the growth of the company. Threats can be managed but not controlled. The threats of IDFC First Bank are

  • Shortage of Skilled Human Resources: Given the high turnover rate of employees and the increasing reliance on innovative solutions, IDFC First Bank may face challenges in this sector soon.
  • Dynamic Competition: New technologies developed by competitors and the market can pose a serious threat to the industry in the medium to long term. The competition is expected to intensify, especially in the area of liabilities, as the target profile of customers of new banks is similar to that of the existing banks.
  • Retention of Key Management Personnel: Developing and retaining key executives can be difficult as multiple new banks, fintech companies, and existing banks are competing for the same talent pool.
  • Increased Marketing Efforts: Due to the rise of digital marketing, there is an increasing number of promotional messages which are being sent by competitors. It clutters up the space, which leads to losing out on customers. IDFC First Bank is well versed and trying to adopt a variety of the latest digital marketing skills to get ahead of the competition. You must also check out these skills to achieve the same.


This ends our detailed SWOT analysis on IDFC First Bank. Let’s conclude our findings below.

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To Conclude

IDFC First Bank is a leading name in the banking industry. In our SWOT Analysis of IDFC First Bank, we can see how it is reliant on its strong relationships with customers and innovation in its products. IDFC First Bank has to consider its competitors to maintain its position in the market.

One way in which IDFC First Bank has an opportunity to tap into potential customers is by increasing its focus on its digital presence by using various digital marketing methods. Since the future is digital, there is an increasing need to have relevant knowledge and skills. 

If you are interested in getting into the digital marketing landscape too, why not try out our 3 Months Advanced Digital Marketing course where you can learn everything about digital marketing in-depth just like this case study. 

We hope this blog on the SWOT Analysis of IDFC First Bank has given you a good insight into the company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. 

If you enjoy in-depth company research just like the SWOT analysis of IDFC First Bank, check out our IIDE Knowledge portal for more fascinating case studies.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and do share your thoughts on this case study of the SWOT analysis of IDFC First Bank in the comments section below.

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Author's Note:

My name is Aditya Shastri and I have written this case study with the help of my students from IIDE's online digital marketing courses in India.

Practical assignments, case studies & simulations helped the students from this course present this analysis.

Building on this practical approach, we are now introducing a new dimension for our online digital marketing course learners - the Campus Immersion Experience.

If you found this case study helpful, please feel free to leave a comment below.

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Aditya Shastri

Lead Trainer & Head of Learning & Development at IIDE

Leads the Learning & Development segment at IIDE. He is a Content Marketing Expert and has trained 6000+ students and working professionals on various topics of Digital Marketing. He has been a guest speaker at prominent colleges in India including IIMs......[Read full bio]

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