Japan’s multinational bank Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) has picked up a 5.4% stake in debt capital platform Northern Arc Capital, formerly known as IFMR Capital, for an undisclosed amount.
Through this investment, SMBC is aiming to further its Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in India by making investments in transactions alongside Northern Arc, as well as by providing on-balance sheet lending to Northern Arc’s partners.
“This partnership will also allow us to contribute meaningfully towards women empowerment, financial inclusion for the underserved Indian population and the sustainability of the Indian economy,” said Masahiko Oshima, deputy president of SMBC.
For Northern Arc, the partnership would help establish a global presence, strengthen its profile among foreign investors and give access to newer geographical markets.
“At Northern Arc, there has been a very strong focused approach towards building an international investor franchise, and given that SMBC is one of Japan’s largest banks, it opens doors for us to look at the Japanese market from the fund-raising perspective. Further, it improves our access to global investors in terms of giving them an entry point to invest in India,” said Kshama Fernandes, managing director and chief executive officer of Northern Arc Capital in a telephonic interaction with Mint.
“The total deal-size, including the primary and secondary portion, is worth ₹482 crore. This includes the second tranche of investment by IIFL, Affirma Capital, along with the investment from the new investor SMBC. IIFL and Affirma Capital are existing shareholders completing their follow-up investments as part of the March round,” she added.
In March, the firm had announced that IIFL Special Opportunities Fund and Affirma Capital had committed to invest Rs910 crore in the company.
Since its inception, Northern Arc has raised a total of over ₹1,400 crore (about $200 million) in equity.
Established in 2008, Northern Arc connects non-banking financial companies working among financially excluded households and businesses, such as micro-financiers, affordable housing finance companies and small business financiers, with investors in existing and emerging debt capital markets.
Till date, the company has enabled debt financing of over ₹75,000 crore (about $10.5 billion) to 200 plus financial institutions catering to unbanked and under-banked customers, impacting the lives of over 43 million customers across more than 580 districts of India. It has also structured and executed over 500 capital markets transactions.
The company also has an alternate investment fund vehicle, known as Northern Arc Investment Managers, which runs seven funds under its management with cumulative assets under management of ₹1,200 crores.
Source: Mint