SBI, Adani Capital sign pact for co-lending to farmers

State Bank of India (SBI) on Thursday signed an agreement with Adani Capital, the non-banking finance company (NBFC) arm of the Adani Group, for co-lending to farmers for purchase of tractors and farm implement.

“This partnership shall help SBI to expand customer base as well as connect with the underserved farming segment of the country and further contribute towards the growth of India’s farm economy. We will continue to work with more NBFCs in order to reach out to maximum customers in far flung areas and provide last mile banking services,” said SBI chairman Dinesh Khara.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had issued guidelines on co-lending scheme for banks and NBFCs for priority-sector lending, to improve credit flow towards underserved sectors of economy, the bank said in a release, adding that the model aims to give the borrower the best interest rate and better reach.

Registered in 2017, Adani Capital is a non-deposit taking systemically important NBFC with total assets under management (AUM) of Rs 1,292 crore as on March 31. The NBFC had 28,000 customers spread across 63 branches in 6 states including Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh.