 "monetary policy, rbi, RBI bond forwards 2025, RBI interest rate derivatives, bond forwards in India, SDL bond forwards demand, RBI policy on bond derivatives")
Vertis Infrastructure Trust, formerly known as Highways Infrastructure Trust, a Sebi-registered Infrastructure Investment Trust (InvIT), has raised Rs 900 crore through a Sustainability-Linked Bond (SLB).
According to the InvIT, this is the largest SLB issuance by an Indian InvIT to date. Earlier, in February, Vertis’ peer Cube Highways Trust (Cube InvIT) secured an investment of Rs 860 crore from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) via an SLB.
For Vertis, IFC, as the anchor investor, invested Rs 450 crore. This SLB, with a 10-year fixed rate, is priced at 7.40 per cent. Proceeds from the issue will support the acquisition of TOT (Toll-Operate-Transfer)-16, a 252-kilometre NH-44 highway corridor in Telangana, aimed at enhancing regional connectivity.
Gaurav Chandna, executive director and joint chief executive officer, Vertis Infrastructure Trust, said, “This landmark SLB issuance is more than just a funding milestone—it reflects our unwavering commitment to sustainable infrastructure development. It demonstrates the growing maturity of Indian InvITs in tapping innovative financing routes aligned with global sustainability standards.”
Also Read
 "World bank")
 "railways train rail freight trains")
 "India Nepal")
 "capital expenditure, Finance Ministry, central government, public investments, Indian Railways, infrastructure")
 "Siddaramaiah, Karnataka CM")
The SLB is structured with predefined sustainability performance targets that link interest rates to the achievement of ESG outcomes, the InvIT claimed.
In December 2024, IFC invested Rs 630 crore in an SLB issued by NDR InvIT, a warehousing InvIT sponsored by NDR Warehousing. This SLB was the first by a warehousing InvIT in India and the first SLB issuance by any InvIT in the country.
Imad Fakhoury, regional director for South Asia, IFC, added, “South Asia’s infrastructure demands are immense, and delivering resilient, inclusive solutions is urgent. By supporting performance-linked instruments, we are helping establish roads as a credible asset class for institutional investors.”
Additionally, the InvIT’s investment manager is Vertis Fund Advisors (formerly known as Highway Concessions One), and its sponsor is Galaxy Investments II, an entity affiliated with KKR & Co. Inc.
Vertis’ current portfolio has assets under management (AUM) worth around Rs 25,000 crore, comprising 27 project stretches and covering a total of 8,100 lane km across 10 Indian states.
 "Nayara Energy, Nayara")
 "IKEA")
 "Ashok Leyland")
 "Akasa Airlines, Akasa")
 "The much-anticipated provision of the deal value threshold (DVT) under the Competition Amendment Act 2023, notified on Monday, seeks to capture mergers and acquisitions (M&As) where the deal value exceeds Rs 2,000 crore or where the target company ha")
