After record issuances in FY25, infrastructure bonds lose their sheen

Infrastructure bonds, which were popular in FY25, have lost their appeal in FY26 as banks face stronger deposit growth and moderated credit demand, with issuances expected to be much lower this year

Infrastructure bonds, which were relied upon the most in 2024-25 (FY25) by commercial banks to raise funds through the domestic debt capital market amid lagging deposit growth, seem to have lost their sheen in FY26. So far in FY26, no bank has tapped the domestic debt capital market to raise funds via infra bonds, and the expectation is that the amount raised through this route will be significantly lower than that last year, unless credit demand picks up. Only Bank of India has taken board approval to raise funds via infra bonds.

 

According to data from rating agency Icra, banks