Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday asked National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development (NaBFID) to introduce a structured partial credit enhancement facility towards deepening bond markets and create a data repository for the infrastructure sector.
In a statement the finance ministry noted that Sitharaman reviewed the performance of NaBFID on parameters including business, resource raising, developmental initiatives, human resources, information technology and financials. NaBFID will sanction over Rs 3 lakh crore by March 2026.
“Sitharaman also advised NaBFID to develop sector specialisation to a the unique capability to evaluate and underwrite large and complex infrastructure projects,” the statement noted.
Credit enhancement helps issuing companies improve their bond ratings, as bond payment is guaranteed to a certain limit. The issuer also gets access to markets at cheaper rates than borrowing from banks.
The finance ministry noted in its statement that NaBFID has made total sanctions of more than Rs 86,804 crore, with projects spread across the country and in diversified sub-sectors of infrastructure, such as roads, renewable power, ports, Railways, Water and Sanitation, and City Gas Distribution. “Out of the Rs 86,804 crore, 50% has been sanctioned with long tenure for 50 to 20 years,” it said. Set up in April 2021, as a specialised development finance institution, NaBFID supports the country’s infrastructure sector by bridging the financing gap in the infrastructure sector, enabling credit flow through innovative instruments such as longer tenor loans.
