Citigroup Research placed RBL Bank on a 90-day positive catalyst watch, reiterating its “buy” rating and lifting the stock’s target price to Rs 285 from Rs 230. The new estimate implies roughly 19 percent upside from Friday’s close. Citi expects the private-sector lender’s return on assets to improve by 45–50 basis points as credit costs normalise, helped by accelerated provisioning in the joint-liability-group and credit-card portfolios. Slippages are projected to moderate to 4.5 percent in the June quarter, down from 4.7 percent in the previous three months. While a shift toward secured lending and floating-rate repricing could compress net interest margins by about 28–30 basis points, Citi forecasts the margin trough will arrive earlier for RBL Bank than for peers, likely in the current quarter. The brokerage sees sector-wide loan growth at 9 percent year-on-year and deposit growth at 10 percent. RBL Bank shares gained nearly 4 percent in early Mumbai trading on Monday following the brokerage note.