Aug 12 (Reuters) – Bank of America will acquire up to 49.9% stake in Jio Credit, a unit of Jio Financial Services, for as much as 182.68 billion rupees ($1.92 billion), the companies said on Wednesday.
The U.S. lender will be a joint venture partner in Jio Financial’s non-bank lending arm through a preferential allotment of equity shares and warrants.
The transaction initially gives Bank of America a 26.5% stake, which can go up to 49.9% upon exercise of the warrants.
The deal is the latest large investment in India’s financial services sector, which include Japan’s MUFG investment in Shriram Finance and Dubai-based bank Emirates NBD’s 60% stake in lender RBL Bank.
“The investment will allow BofA to expand its participation in the rapidly growing Indian market …. while doing so with a partner that has local expertise,” the companies said in a statement.
($1 = 95.3300 Indian rupees)
(Reporting by Nishit Navin in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun Koyyur)
