High LeverageSignificant leverage increases interest expense sensitivity and refinancing risk, reducing financial flexibility. In a higher-rate or tighter liquidity environment, elevated debt levels can amplify losses, constrain new lending capacity, and require higher provisioning, posing a persistent structural risk to stability.
Negative Cash Flow TrendPersistent negative operating and free cash flow indicate that accounting profits are not converting to cash, increasing reliance on market borrowings to fund operations and growth. This undermines liquidity buffers, raises funding costs long-term, and limits the firm's ability to self-finance loan growth or absorb shocks.
Operating Margin PressureA drop in EBIT/EBITDA margins suggests rising operating costs or adverse mix effects, which can erode core profitability even as net margins showed improvement. If structural, margin compression reduces cash generation and curtails capacity to fund credit losses or invest in growth without increasing leverage.