Ratnakar Bank gets Rs 328-cr infusion from global investors

Ratnakar Bank today said it has received Rs 328 crore in capital infusion from leading global investors like CDC Group and Asia Capital & Advisors.
Existing investors, including International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Gaja Capital, also participated in this round of capital infusion, the private lender said in a statement here.
The exercise was part of the bank's third round of financing which started three years ago.
"These new funds will assist the bank in expanding its branch network in semi-urban and rural areas of as well as providing a suite of financial products and services to the unbanked sections of society," the statement said.

Founded in 1943, the bank has its main markets in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Goa. The lender's current business size stood at over Rs 21,000 crore and it offers services to more than 5,00,000 customers.
"IFC's repeat investment will assist Ratnakar in expanding its services to the under-served SMEs, helping increase access to finance," said Serge Devieux, IFC Director for South Asia.
Commenting on its investment, Srini Nagarajan of CDC said "we are strongly aligned with Ratnakar's strategy to expand and provide a range of financial services to customer segments that are under-served by the market. Our investment approach will complement their strong management team as they continue to implement the bank's growth strategy."

Francis Andrew Rozario of Asia Capital said, "We have been impressed by the track record of the management and staff of the bank and its achievements, which include successful transformation to their performance across all segments of the economy".