Yes Bank shares in focus as top management uncertainty grows

Shares of Yes Bank Ltd., the Mumbai-based private lender, will be in focus on Friday, December 12. The stock has advanced in two of the past four sessions.

CNBC-TV18 has learnt from two people directly familiar with the matter that the bank's Nomination and Remuneration Committee has decided not to extend the tenure of Rajan Pental, Global Head of Retail Banking.

Pental, who joined the lender in 2015 and was elevated to Executive Director in February 2023 for a three-year term, is expected to exit when his tenure ends in February 2026.

The move comes amid continued pressure in the retail business. After turning small profits in FY22 and FY23, the segment slipped back into losses, reporting ₹9,726 crore in FY24 and ₹2,140 crore in FY25. Losses continued this fiscal as well, with ₹668 crore in Q1 and ₹358 crore in Q2 despite attempts to scale and streamline operations.

Retail loans made up 48% of total advances in Q2 FY26, down from 52% a year earlier. Retail advances stood at ₹1,20,802 crore at the end of September 2025, up 1.5% sequentially and 2.4% on-year.

During the most recent earnings call, MD and CEO Prashant Kumar said retail losses had narrowed. "The losses which were ₹668 crore at the end of quarter one have already come down to ₹358 crore… we have already reached breakeven if you exclude excess provisions," he said, citing that retail was not a core franchise before 2020 and had been hit by Covid, credit-cycle pressures and sharp repo-rate swings.

There is also uncertainty around the CEO"s position. Kumar's term, extended by the RBI until April 5, 2026, has not yet been recommended for further renewal by the NRC, people familiar with the matter told CNBC-TV18. With four months left, the board has not submitted any name for RBI approval.

Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, Yes Bank's largest shareholder with a 24.2% stake and two board seats, is expected to play a decisive role in both retail leadership changes and the CEO succession process.

CNBC-TV18 has reached out to Yes Bank for comment and will update the story once the bank responds.

11 analysts have coverage on Yes Bank, of which 9 of them have a 'Sell' recommendation on the stock, while two have a 'Hold' rating. No analyst tracking the stock has a 'Buy' rating.

Yes Bank shares closed 1.10% higher on Thursday at ₹21.96 and are up 12% so far in 2025.

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