New Delhi, May 2 : Indiaâ??s largest depository, Central Depository Services (India) Limited (CDSL), on Saturday reported a 20 per cent year-on-year decline in consolidated net profit for the March quarter in FY26.

According to the companyâ??s exchange filing, profit after tax (PAT) for the quarter stood at Rs 80 crore, compared with Rs 100 crore in the year-ago period. On a standalone basis, net profit fell 15 per cent to Rs 68.8 crore, from Rs 80.8 crore a year earlier.

Meanwhile, revenue from operations during the quarter rose 17 per cent to Rs 263 crore from Rs 224 crore in the corresponding period last year.

EBITDA rose 6.7 per cent year-on-year to Rs 116.8 crore from Rs 109.4 crore, while margins contracted to 44.4 per cent from 48.7 per cent a year earlier.

Total income for the quarter stood at Rs 268.4 crore, up 4.9 per cent year-on-year from Rs 255.8 crore, though it declined 20.0 per cent sequentially from Rs 335.6 crore in the December quarter.

For the full year FY26, consolidated net profit declined 13.5 per cent to Rs 455.1 crore from Rs 526.3 crore in FY25.

Revenue from operations for the year increased nearly 6 per cent to Rs 1,145 crore from Rs 1,082 crore in the previous financial year, while total income rose 3.3 per cent to Rs 1,238 crore from Rs 1,199 crore.

Moreover, total expenses for the March quarter stood at Rs 164 crore. On an annual basis, expenses rose 23 per cent to Rs 625.4 crore from Rs 507.0 crore in FY25.

Apart from earnings, the board of directors of CDSL has recommended a final dividend of Rs 12.75 per equity share for FY26, subject to shareholder approval. Earlier in FY25, the company had announced a dividend payout of Rs 12.50 per share.

CDSL is the largest depository in India by number of active demat accounts and caters to a majority of retail investors with leading discount brokers.

Shares of CDSL on Thursday ended lower at Rs 1,272 apiece, down 2.63 per cent on the NSE.

/IANS