Brookfield planning $1.2 billion of debt to buy India assets: Reports

By Baiju Kalesh and Saikat Das

Brookfield Asset Management is planning to raise about $1.2 billion of debt to fund the acquisition of American Tower Corp’s assets in India with the deal likely closing this year itself, according to people familiar with the matter. 

It’s discussing various types of fund raising with a group of global lenders in India, said the people requesting anonymity because the matter is private. A spokesperson for Brookfield declined to comment. 

Options being discussed include an offshore loan and the sale of non-convertible debentures with investment commitment from overseas investors, they said. 

Investment firm Brookfield is betting on growth in India, whose economy is outpacing that of other large countries and where smartphone usage is increasing rapidly.