Bahrain’s Investcorp Plans $1 Billion Investments In India

Investcorp is looking to invest up to $1 billion in India over the next five to seven years across sectors, according to the chief executive officer of the Bahrain-based firm that manages investments worth $22.5 billion

The company, Rishi Kapoor told BloombergQuint, will start evaluating investment opportunities in the country after its acquisition of IDFC Alternatives' private equity and realty fund businesses, which manage about $450 million investments, is complete by early next year.

“We would look to grow that through an additional investment activity to about a billion-and-a-half dollars,” Kapoor said, adding that the company is looking to invest a billion dollars over a medium term.

The 30-year-old investment firm is eyeing acquisition opportunities in specialised healthcare, real estate lending, student loan financing, insurance, online lending, and fintech platforms. Additionally, it may also look out for an omnichannel retail platform with a core e-commerce component in India, Kapoor said.

Its foray into the Indian market is part of the private equity firm's expansion strategy, said Kapoor. The company, according to its website, has made 150 investments worth $36 billion in the U.S., Middle East, Europe, and North Africa.

Investcorp intends to double its assets under management to $50 billion in five to seven years, Kapoor said. The firm plans to achieve that by investing in new markets such as India, Japan, and China, and increasing its existing product offerings to also include infrastructure, he said.

Watch the interview here