U GRO Capital, SBI partner to disburse Rs 500 Cr to MSMEs by March 2022
SBI has onboarded U GRO Capital as its first co-lending partner for its Sanjeevani programme to finance MSMEs, according to an official statement released.
Lending platform U GRO Capital and State Bank of India (SBI) partnered for a co-lending arrangement to disburse up to Rs 500 crore to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) by the end of this fiscal.
SBI has onboarded U GRO Capital as its first co-lending partner for its Sanjeevani programme to finance MSMEs, the non-banking financial company (NBFC) said.
Through this collaboration, SBI and U GRO Capital aim to disburse up to Rs 500 crore by March 2022 to provide credit to MSMEs.
The agreement was signed in accordance with the alternative option of the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) revised co-lending guidelines, which involves a post-disbursal takeover of the bank's share in the loan on a back-to-back basis.
"The arrangement will extend credit products under U GRO's Sanjeevani programme, offering loans up to Rs 3 crore at a competitive rate of interest," U GRO Capital said in a statement.
U GRO had launched Sanjeevani to provide credit to the pandemic-impacted MSME sector in June 2020. It has disbursed over Rs 750 crore as of October 31, 2021. The NBFC said it has earlier forged co-lending partnerships with Bank of Baroda and IDBI Bank.
Dinesh Khara, Chairman, State Bank of India, said, this collaboration will further enhance the lender's distribution network as it aims to extend its credit reach to more MSMEs.
"Such partnerships align with our commitment to accelerate effective and affordable credit to MSMEs in India and contribute to the country's financial inclusion imperative towards building an Aatmanirbhar Bharat."
Shachindra Nath, Executive Chairman and Managing Director, U GRO Capital, said, "India's lending landscape for NBFCs is transitioning. We believe the next decade is all about collaboration between large banks and niche NBFCs/ fintech, wherein lending-as-a-service will become the prominent force."
At present, U GRO Capital has 55 branches across nine states. The company aims to expand its branch network to 100 by FY2022.
By 2025, U GRO envisions achieving a 1 percent market share of outstanding MSME credit in India, serving one million customers.
Edited by Suman Singh