HDFC Capital Achieves Initial Close of USD 1.8-Bn Fund For Affordable Housing Financing

HDFC Capital, a wholly-owned subsidiary of HDFC Ltd, has achieved the initial close of its third fund of USD 1.88 billion (about Rs 13,500 cr) focused on affordable housing. HDFC Capital's target is to finance the development of one million affordable homes in India through a combination of innovative financing, partnerships and technology, whilst focusing on sustainability, the company said in a statement.

In order to achieve this objective, the company is in active discussions with leading global investors to raise additional funds to be invested in affordable housing in India. The HDFC Capital Affordable Real Estate Fund-3 (H-CARE-3) is one the largest funds raised to invest in the residential real estate sector in India with investors committing in excess of USD 1.22 billion towards the first close. It combined with potential reinvestments by the fund creates an estimated total fund corpus of USD 1.88 billion, it said.

The primary investor in H-CARE 3 is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), it said adding that the fund will provide long-term, flexible funding across the lifecycle of affordable and mid-income housing projects, including early-stage funding. In addition, it said H-CARE 3 will also invest in technology companies (construction technology, fintech, cleantech, etc.) engaged in the affordable housing ecosystem. "HDFC Capital has been one of the pioneers of investing in affordable and mid-income housing projects in India.

"With support from marquee global investors like ADIA and partnerships with leading developers, the platform is well on its way to ensuring many more Indians become homeowners," HDFC Chairman Deepak Parekh said.

At HDFC Capital, the vision is to finance the development of the affordable housing ecosystem in India and provide a seamless platform for all stakeholders including global investors, developers, and vendors to access financing and technology innovations, the company's Managing Director Vipul Roongta said.

(PTI)