IFC leads $550 million ECB investment round in L&T Finance

L&T Finance Ltd., the wholly owned subsidiary of L&T Finance Holdings Ltd., will receive $550 million in an ECB investment round anchored by IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, and BNP Paribas, Citibank, and DBS Bank Limited. July 4, 2019, Mumbai, India : In the first tranche, the investors have contributed $275 million. Of this, IFC is bringing in $125 million, which will be utilized by L&T Finance to expand its farm equipment finance bookby extending loans to farmers for buying equipment and modernizing farming. With the closure of this financing deal with foreign banks as lenders, L&T Finance has taken a step further in diversifying its funding sources. This follows the successful public issuances of Non-Convertible Debentures (NCDs) in March and April 2019, by L&T Finance Ltd. Mechanization of farming plays a crucial role in increasing agricultural productivity. However, purchasing a tractor and other farm equipment is a difficult decision f...