Page 20 - Fundings

Indian Bank wholly-owned subsidiary to begin operations in FY25, says MD

Public sector Indian Bank is engaged in floating a wholly-owned subsidiary with a capital infusion of Rs 10 crore and it is expected to commence operations in the next financial year, a top official said here on Thursday. The subsidiary would largely focus on back-office processing, collection, sales and marketing, Indian Bank Managing Director and CEO Shanti Lal Jain said. "Around a week back, we got the financial approval. It will be a wholly-owned subsidiary. We will be putting Rs 10 crore as capital and we are in the process of recruiting people at the top level like CEO, CTO...," he told reporters. The plan to launch a subsidiary is to focus on sales and marketing, collection and recovery process, he said. "There are many works that we are doing. Call centre work, already we are in the process of recruiting people. Maybe in the next financial year, it will be in operation. This subsidiary will not be as big as Indian Bank, they will do our work, feet on the street for collecti

PE/VC bets drop for second year, down 11% at $49.8 bn in 2023: Report

Investments by private equity and venture capital funds declined for the second consecutive year in 2023 after the "funding winter" impacted 2022, a report said on Wednesday. The dedicated funds poured in USD 49.8 billion across 853 deals in 2023, as against USD 56.1 billion in 2022 across 1,273 deals, the report by industry lobby IVCA and consultancy firm EY said. The overall activity declined 34 per cent in 2022, after the all-time high of USD 75.9 billion reached in 2021. The decline in deals was largely because of a lack of interest in investing in India's startups, the report said, specifying that 2023 saw only 472 deals as against 815 in the year-ago period. The funds have "significant amounts of dry powder" and global funds are also looking to increase India's capital allocation, the consultancy's partner Vivek Soni said, adding that he remains "optimistic" about the Indian PE/VC scene for the new year. In 2023, growth investments was the largest segment for PE/VC bets with

More funds for steel sector under hydrogen mission if required: R K Singh

Union Minister R K Singh on Wednesday assured stakeholders that additional funds will be allocated for decarbonisation of the steel sector under National Green Hydrogen Mission, if required. Singh chaired a meeting of government and industry stakeholders of the iron and steel sector in order to discuss pilot projects under the mission, an official statement said. Officials of Ministry of New & Renewable Energy, Ministry of Steel and industry representatives from the iron and steel sector participated in the deliberations. The Union Power and New & Renewable Energy Minister said that the funds available under the mission should be used to develop technology for integration of hydrogen in steel making. "Some manufacturers have already begun to experiment using green hydrogen in the steel sector. The idea of this meeting is to decide the avenues in which the funds can be channelled to accelerate this transition, through a transparent selection process which also addresses the ...

Startup funding in India fell 62% to six-year-low in 2023: PrivateCircle

The funding deal volume fell by a sharper 72% in 2023 to 1,444 deals as compared to 5,114 deals in 2022

Hubergroup India in talks with banks, lenders for Rs 1,500 cr funding

The printing inks and chemicals specialist Hubergroup India, is engaging with ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Axis Bank, Tata Capital, and others to acquire businesses from its German parent company

FinAGG Technologies bags $11 mn funding led by Blue Orchard, Tata Capital

FinAGG Technologies, engaged in MSME financing space, has raised USD 11 million (over Rs 91 crore) in a funding round co-led by global impact investment manager BlueOrchard and Tata Capital Ltd. The Series A funding round also saw participation from the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) and existing investor Prime Venture Partners, a release said on Thursday. Additionally, FinAGG secured capital from Gray Matter Capital through Non-Convertible Debentures (NCDs) to empower women entrepreneurs financially. The latest funds infusion will be directed towards expanding FinAGG's offline and online presence, enhancing global outreach, and driving product innovation, it added. "The money that we have raised will go into bringing disruptive changes in this industry. Our Product and Engineering department is currently working on bringing blockchain to an industry which worked on conventional pen and paper underwriting until recently. These new features will help us look at .

Private funding key to capture 20% of $1 trn space economy: Ex-Isro chief

The global space economy will touch the $1 trillion mark in the coming years and private investment is crucial to take India's share in it from present 2-4 per cent to 20 per cent, said former chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) A S Kiran Kumar on Thursday. He was addressing entrepreneurs at the launch of LIBF EXPO 2024' organised by Lohana International Business Forum at the Helipad Exhibition Centre in Gandhinagar. India is now the fifth biggest economy in the world and is marching ahead to become the third largest economy in the near future. We will need the participation of a large number of private entrepreneurs to achieve that target, Kumar said in his address as the chief guest of the inaugural ceremony. Global space economy would reach the $1 trillion-mark in the coming years, he said. India's share in that economy, such as making launch vehicles or satellites, is just 2 to 4 per cent at present. If we want to capture a 20 per cent share in the future,

India share of venture capital funding lowest in 5 years, shows data

While the data shows that the world had 71 new unicorns (21 in Asia), India contributed only two of them, as compared with CY22 when it had 22

CredAble records a two-fold increase in loan disbursements in 2023

The company plans to raise $50-75 million by June this year in its series C round

State Bank of India floats scheme to raise funds for green projects

SBI will look at tapping family offices, entities that manage money for high net worth individuals, for garnering green money

Offshore syndication of loans at 15-year high, zooms to $21 bn in 2023

Over $4 bn deals on the cards in Jan-Mar as trend continues

Incubators give warmth to startups in India amid a funding winter

India has the second-largest network of startup incubators and accelerators with 718 such firms

Angel investments in Indian startups maintain pace amid funding winter

Overall deal volumes among startups have hit the skids, investment activity among the country's most active angel investment networks has held relatively steady

Vi shares rise 22% to 1 yr high as company nears fundraising deadline

The company has said multiple times that any new funding by banks will be used for the deployment of capital expenditure, and not to roll over existing dues

Dec 2023 becomes highest funded month as startup investments cross $1.6 bn

Budding companies had raised $1.4 million in January this year. Regardless, startup funding hit a seven year low in 2023

Fundraising through QIP shines, companies garner Rs 50,200 cr in 2023

Fundraising through the issuance of shares to institutional investors skyrocketed, as companies raked in Rs 50,218 crore in 2023, marking a six-fold surge from the previous year and indicating a positive outlook among investors. Apart from QIPs, fund mobilisation through rights issue of shares and OFS (Offer-for-Sale) route too surged in 2023, as compared to last year. Market experts attributed the primary reason for the increase in Qualified Institutional Placement (QIP) fundraising to the market and investor sentiments that play an important role in their success. As long as positive market vibes persist, and investors continue to reap returns, listed companies lean towards opting for fundraising through QIP as this avenue ensures swift access to funds, they added. According to data by the National Stock Exchange (NSE), companies collected Rs 50,218 crore through QIPs in 2023, which was way higher than Rs 8,196 crore raised in the preceding year. Bajaj Finance Ltd spearheaded th

Startups hope for strong growth in 2024 after unicorns, funds fall in 2023

Funding winter and corporate governance woes separated the men from the boys in the country's startup space in 2023 that saw funds into the segment tapering to just around USD 8 billion. All said, investors are hopeful of strong growth of the maturing startup ecosystem in the new year. Edtech and health tech segments that grew exponentially during the pandemic plunged into an abyss of financial uncertainties, with several firms shuttering their business, and valuation of prominent players like BYJU'S and PharmEasy plummeting 85-90 per cent. Indian startups are estimated to have laid off over 15,000 employees in 2023. Startups with sustainable business models as well as the well-capitalised ones are expected to weather the current turmoil. And the horizon in 2024 is expected to be "exciting" as well as "challenging". Venture capital firm Lightspeed, which has invested in firms like BYJU'S, Magicpin and OYO, said a high cycle or a low cycle of two years does not really impact the ..

ICRA assigns AA+ rating to Adani Ports on strong business profile

While ICRA said its rating factors in the company's strong business profile, India Ratings said it continues to take a consolidated view of the company and its subsidiaries

Escrowpay raises $6 million in fresh funding from existing investors

Escrowpay, which offers digital escrow platforms, has raised USD 6 million in fresh funding from existing investors. The latest funding is through the series-A round and is part of the ongoing round targeting USD 15 million. The company recently secured the first digital escrow regulatory fintech authorization from the IFSCA in the Gift City. Currently it serves over 3,000 clients, including SMEs, unicorns, listed enterprises, and emerging digital-first businesses. Escrowpay has processed transactions exceeding Rs 15,000 crore. The fresh capital injection will be strategically utilized to accelerate its initiatives, support key growth areas, and foster innovation within the payments ecosystem, its MD Ashwin Chawwla said in a statement on Wednesday.

InCred becomes 2nd unicorn of 2023 after raising $60 mn in funding round

Fintech firm InCred has turned unicorn after raising USD 60 million in a funding round from new and existing investors. Following the fresh capital infusion, InCred has been valued at USD 1.04 billion and has become the second company to gain unicorn status this year, the company said in a statement. The Series D round was led by Ranjan Pai of MEMG, who invested USD 9 million followed by Ravi Pillai, Chairman at RP Group of Companies, and Ram Nayak, Global Co-Head of the Investment Bank and Head of Fixed Income & Currencies at Deutsche Bank, who invested USD 5.4 million and USD 1.2 million, respectively. The fundraise also saw participation from several large ultra-high-net worth individuals and Family Offices, as well as institutional investors like Varanium Capital Advisors and Sattva Group, it said. "This funding marks a significant milestone in our journey and takes us into the ranks of Unicorns. We are deeply grateful for the overwhelming support our investors have ...