RBI FAQS on Infrastructure Finance Companies (IFCs)

Infrastructure Finance Companies (IFCs)

Q.1. What is an Infrastructure finance?

Ans “Infrastructure loan” means a credit facility extended by NBFCs to a borrower for exposure in the following infrastructure sub-sectors:

Transport i. Roads and bridges
ii. Ports
iii. Inland Waterways
iv. Airport
v. Railway Track, tunnels, viaducts, bridges1
vi. Urban Public Transport (except rolling stock in case of urban road transport) Energy i. Electricity Generation
ii. Electricity Transmission
iii. Electricity Distribution
iv. Oil pipelines
v. Oil/Gas/Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) storage facility2
vi. Gas pipelines3 Water & Sanitation i. Solid Waste Management
ii. Water supply pipelines
iii. Water treatment plants
iv. Sewage collection, treatment and disposal system
v. Irrigation (dams, channels, embankments etc)
vi. Storm Water Drainage System Communication i. Telecommunication (Fixed network) 4
ii. Telecommunication towers Social and Commercial Infrastructure
Notes:

1. Includes supporting terminal infrastructure such as loading/unloading terminals, stations and buildings

2. Includes strategic storage of crude oil

3. Includes city gas distribution network

4. Includes optic fibre/cable networks which provide broadband / internet

5. Includes Medical Colleges, Para Medical Training Institutes and Diagnostics Centres

6. Includes cold room facility for farm level pre-cooling, for preservation or storage of agriculture and allied produce, marine products and meat.

Ans : IFC is a non-deposit accepting loan company which complies with the following :

A minimum of 75 per cent of the total assets of an IFC-NBFC should be deployed in infrastructure loans;
The company should have minimum net-worth of Rs 300 crore,
The CRAR of of the company should be at 15% with Tier I capital at 10% and
The minimum credit rating of the company should be at ‘A’ or equivalent of CRISIL, FITCH, CARE, ICRA, BRICKWORK or equivalent rating by any other accrediting rating agencies.
Their request must be supported by a certificate from their Statutory Auditors confirming the asset pattern of the company as on March 31, of the latest financial year

Q.3. What are the credit concentration norms for IFCs?

Ans : IFCs may exceed the concentration of credit norms as provided in paragraph 18 of the aforesaid Directions as under:

i. In lending to

a. any single borrower by ten per cent of its owned fund, (i.e at 25% of Owned Funds) and

b. any single group of borrowers by fifteen per cent of its owned fund, (i.e. at 40% of Owned Funds)

ii. In lending and investing (loans/investments taken together) by

iii. The extant norms for investment for both single party and single group of parties will remain same as in Para 18 of the Directions, i.e.

a. Investment in shares of another company cannot exceed 15% of its Owned Funds

b. Investment in shares of a single group of companies cannot exceed 25% of its Owned Funds.

Ans: Infrastructure Finance Companies can maintain risk weight at 50% for assets covering PPP and post commercial operations date (COD) projects which have completed at least one year of satisfactory commercial operations and which are backed by a buyback guarantee by a designated Project / Statutory authority under a Tripartite Agreement.

Q.5. What constitutes ‘credit facility’ under the definition of infrastructure loan?

Ans: The term ‘credit facility’ means a term loan, project loan subscription to bonds/ debentures/ preference shares/ equity shares in a project company acquired as a part of project finance package such that such subscription amounts to be “in the nature of advance” or any other form of long term funded facility provided to a borrower company engaged in developing/ operating and maintaining/ developing, operating and maintaining infrastructure facilities, that is a project in any of the sub-sectors as specified in the definition of infrastructure loan.
Source : taxguru.in