Belstar Microfinance, a subsidiary of Muthoot Finance is likely to launch an initial public offering in the next 12 months, Managing Director George Alexander Muthoot said. He tells Ajay Ramanathan that the company has requested the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for a deposit license.

Q. You recently launched business loans for MSMEs. What is your strategy on this segment?

A. We recently started business loans for the MSME segment. It is at a nascent stage and we have started operations in 15 cities today. While we have not fixed a target, we will probably hit Rs 150 crore of assets by the end of this financial year. This portfolio size will rise as we launch operations in more cities.