Citigroup’s research arm has placed RBL Bank on a 90-day “positive catalyst watch”, reiterating a Buy rating and lifting its price objective to ₹285 a share from ₹230. The revised target implies roughly 19 percent upside from the lender’s last close. Citi expects RBL Bank’s return on assets to improve by 45–50 basis points as credit-cost normalisation gathers pace. The brokerage forecasts slippages easing to 4.5 percent in the June quarter, down from 4.7 percent in the previous three months, after the bank accelerated provisioning in its joint-liability group and credit-card books. Net interest margins are projected to compress by about 28–30 basis points as floating-rate loans are repriced and the portfolio tilts toward secured assets; however, Citi believes margins will bottom out sooner than peers, likely during the current quarter. Credit costs are seen declining to roughly 2.2 percent. RBL Bank shares rose almost 4 percent in early Mumbai trading on Monday following the note.