Passage of the Finance Bill in Parliament paves the way for setting up of a National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development (NaBFID) - a Development Financial Institution (DFI) coming back in new Avtar.
Journey of Development Finance Institutions in India
There is a growing need for adequate long term financing for emerging economies to provide funding for infrastructure and housing projects, and boost economic growth. DFIs could be classified into National Development Institutions such as ICICI, IDBI, IDFC, IFCI, IRBI and SIDBI. Another classification could be sector-specific Finance from EXIM Bank, HDFC, NABARD, NHB, PFC, REC, and TFCI. Investment Institutions is 3rd form where erstwhile UTI, LIC, and GIC could be classified. State level Finance Corporations and Industrial Development Corporations fall under 4th category of Development Financial Institutions.
Post independence, IFCI became first DFI established in 1948. ICICI became first DFI in private sector established in 1955. IDBI was set up under aegis of RBI in 1964 and got full autonomy in 1976. IRCI, EXIM Bank, NABARD, NHB, and SIDBI were established in the year 1971, 1982, 1982, 1988 and 1989 respectively.
Why need was felt for Infra Bank?
When GoI implemented Liberalization, Privatization and Globalization (LPG) policy in 1991 then RBI granted licenses to new generation private sector banks. That is when DFIs namely, HDFC Ltd, ICICI Ltd and IDBI Ltd got bank licenses in the first phase and IDFC Ltd got bank license in 2014. Subsequently, ICICI Ltd reverse merged into ICICI Bank in 2002 and IDBI Ltd reverse merged with IDBI Bank in 2005. IDFC Ltd transferred assets into IDFC Bank and continued to function as a holding company. With the demise of these 3 large DFIs over a period of time, the lending to infrastructure got curtailed. Though Universal Banks were undertaking Infra lending, yet there was limitation on sectoral exposure permitted besides asset-liability mismatch. Banks could accept deposit for a maximum period of 10 years whereas Infrastructure projects are highly risky and have long gestation periods when production commences and repayment starts. Majority of the Infrastructure projects need funding for more than 10 years where banks were facing constraints on raising funds of matching requirements. Therefore, RBI specified in 2017 that revival of DFI could cater to wholesale and long term financing needs of an emerging economy.
Capital Structure, Role and its functioning
The authorized capital of the DFI, National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development (NaBFID), is proposed at Rs 10 lakh crore. Rs 20,000 crore has been given as equity and Rs 5,000 crore as grant besides sovereign guarantee where GoI initial holding would be 100% which would be gradually brought down to 26% over a long period of time and rest 74% will be in the form of dispersed holding. Infra Bank will have access to RBI line of credit, and answerable to Parliament. GoI has provided 10 years tax break to the Infra Bank. The Infra Bank would be professionally run and the GoI will appoint Chairmen only. Rest of the senior level appointments would be done by Banks Board Bureau. The Infra Bank would support the development of long-term non-recourse infrastructure financing in India, which includes development of the bonds and derivatives markets essential for infra financing and to undertake financing infra business. It will solicit investment from domestic and global institutional investors as well as domestic retail investors. GoI has identified about 7,000 projects under National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP) with a projected outlay of Rs 110 lakh crores over a period of 5 years.
Please keep watching this space for latest updates on Infrastructure Financing!
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