This investment was made when British International Investment was named CDC Group.
Our investment
In 2015, CDC provided $49 million of Tier 2 debt to Jana to help it expand its offering to the country’s unbanked population.
Expected impact
India's finance institutions have made massive strides in delivering financial inclusion, yet nearly 20 per cent of the population remains unbanked, particularly those in rural areas.
Financial inclusion is core to Jana Bank’s operations, and the institution offers loans for individuals, including education, and home improvement loans. It also offers business loans, and loans to smallholders and agri-businesses. Increasing access to affordable business finance supports their expansion and drive wider economic growth.
Jana Bank relies heavily on digital technology to support its scalability as a business, and to help it reach its low-income customers, and provide access to affordable finance.
It has set up a network of 340 ‘Jana Centers’ across the country as well as 850 agent locations where customers can conduct basic financial transactions, such as sending money.
Environmental and social aspects
CDC played an active role in developing Janalakshmi's environmental and social policies, helping the institution implement a code of conduct and join the Smart Campaign that promotes responsible lending among micro-finance institutions.
Key facts
- Status:
- Active
- Region
:
Since 2012, we’ve only invested in Africa and South Asia. Investments outside these regions are from our pre-2012 portfolio.
- South Asia
- Countries:
- India
- Sector
:
We have seven priority sectors. However, we continue to invest outside these sectors, largely in the most challenging regions, as new investment supporting any sector helps to underpin the private sector, and create jobs and livelihoods for people.
- Financial services
- Website:
- http://www.janalakshmi.com/
- Investment type
:
We provide capital in three broad ways: direct equity, debt, and intermediated equity (principally through investment funds).
- Direct Debt
- Start date
:
For direct investments, this is the date British International Investment committed capital to the business or project.
For funds, this is the date that British International Investment committed capital to the fund.
For underlying fund investments, this is the date that the fund invested capital into the business.e
- December 2015
- Amount
:
For direct investments, this is the total amount that British International Investment has committed to the business or project (it may be a combination of equity and debt).
For funds, this is the total amount that British International Investment has committed to the fund.
- $50m
- Domicile
:
This is the investee company’s place of incorporation; or a fund’s jurisdiction.
- India
