Non-banking financial company Northern Arc Capital Ltd has raised Rs 200 crore (about $28.5 million) in debt funding from Dutch development bank FMO, it said in a statement.
Northern Arc raised the funding by issuing rupee-denominated non-convertible debentures (NCDs) to FMO. It issued NCDs in two tranches of Rs 100 crore each.
One tranche has been structured as a green bond to exclusively provide funding to non-banking finance companies that finance the purchase of solar lamps, clean cooking stoves, electric vehicles, and for the financing of water and sanitation loans.
Green bonds are used for projects or assets involving renewable energy, clean transport, sustainable water or land management and climate change adaptation.
Kshama Fernandes, managing director and chief executive at Northern Arc Capital, said the funds will help the company provide debt to underserved households and small enterprises.
Linda Broekhuizen, chief investment officer at FMO, said: “This green bond is particularly interesting as the on-lending is in the financial inclusion area of under-banked end clients. This is breaking new ground and complementary to earlier green bonds that FMO has invested in, which ultimately support large-scale renewable energy projects.”
Founded in 2008, Chennai-based Northern Arc Capital was formerly known as IFMR Capital. It caters to financial institutions across affordable housing, small business, vehicle, agriculture finance, small finance banks and microfinance.
As on 30 September, the company’s assets under management stood at Rs 3,849 crore, according to a report by ratings firm ICRA. The assets under management include loans, investments and guarantee extended.
Last month, VCCircle reported that Northern Arc Capital was in discussions with several private equity firms and strategic investors for a potential funding round ahead of a planned initial public offering.
FMO, the Dutch development bank, has a committed portfolio of 9.2 billion euros in 85 countries. It finances projects in sectors such as agribusiness, food and water, energy and financial institutions in underserved markets.
Earlier this month, microfinance company Satin Creditcare Network had raised $30 million (Rs 216 crore) in debt funding from FMO.
