Bharat Bond ETF: Govt likely to launch third tranche in couple of months

The government is likely to launch the third tranche of Bharat Bond ETF, the exchange traded fund that invests in debt of public sector companies, this fiscal, a source said.

"Central public sector enterprises (CPSEs) have fund raising plans of about Rs 12,000 crore. We are thinking of launching the next tranche of Bharat Bond ETF in a couple of months," the source said.

The second tranche of Bharat Bond ETF, which was launched in July, was oversubscribed more than 3 times, collecting about Rs 11,000 crore. It had fetched about Rs 12,400 crore in its debut offer in December 2019.

The funds raised through debt ETF help in smoothening borrowing plans of the participating CPSEs or public sector banks. It also helps them in meeting their capital expenditure needs.

Bharat Bond ETF, which is a debt exchange traded fund (ETF), offered maturity options of 5 and 12 years in its second tranche, while in the first tranche, maturity options were for 3 and 10 years.

The ETF currently invests only in 'AAA' rated bonds of public sector companies.