Mumbai, March 6 (IANS): Reliance Jio may increase its market share to 44 per cent by the end of the financial year 2021-22 in telecom, a Bernstein report said on Friday.

Currently, Jio's market share in telecom is around 34 per cent.

"Over the past three years, Reliance has achieved a leadership position in telecom with a 34 per cent market share. We expect it to reach a 44 per cent share by FY22 and achieve returns above WACC (weighted average cost of capital) for the first time," said the report.

Regarding the company's growth in the retail segment, it said that the "greatest growth opportunity" lies in the organised retail segment.

"We expect India's retail market, which is currently 90 per cent unorganized and ready for digital disruption, to reach $1.2 trillion by 2025. Reliance is the offline leader with $18.5 billion in revenues and 11,000+ stores. The company is best positioned in New Commerce, digitizing neighborhood stores, and e-commerce apps (JioMart and AJIO). Beyond retail, we see opportunities in fintech and media, where there are clear opportunities for synergies with telecom."

The report further said that although energy remains the "cash cow" of the business for RIL, in the near term, it is likely to face margin pressure.

Although Reliance plans to sell down a stake to Aramco, this does not mark a retreat from energy, with India likely to be the fastest-growing market for refined fuel products and petrochemicals over the next 20 years, as per the report.