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SAIF Partners-backed Aye Finance gets debt funding from Swiss firm BlueOrchard

By Keshav Sunkara

  • 13 Apr 2018
SAIF Partners-backed Aye Finance gets debt funding from Swiss firm BlueOrchard
Credit: Thinkstock

SAIF Partners-backed Aye Finance Pvt. Ltd has raised Rs 30 crore ($4.6 million) in debt funding from Swiss social impact investor BlueOrchard Finance, said the lender to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

The Gurugram-based non-banking financial company will use the funds to further diversify its lending portfolio.

The company said its customised appraisal techniques for each industry and cluster help it serve a vast number of customers who fall out of the purview of traditional financing due to strict and non-flexible credit norms.

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A recent report by rating agency Icra said Aye Finance identifies business clusters and performs a preliminary market research to understand the dynamics of the cluster by interacting with buyers, suppliers and manufacturers. Once a cluster is selected, the company opens a branch and starts lending to that cluster.

Aye Finance was founded in 2014 by Sanjay Sharma and Vikram Jetley, both former executives of Ujjivan Financial Services, the holding firm for Ujjivan Small Finance Bank. Aye Finance currently operates in 10 states with 72 branches.

The MSME lender counts LGT Impact Ventures, venture capital and growth-equity investment firm SAIF Partners and non-profit Accion as its investors.

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In November 2016, the company had closed its Series B funding round at $10 million, led by Zurich-based LGT Impact Ventures and existing investors SAIF and Accion.

In February 2015, SAIF Partners and Accion invested an undisclosed sum in the company and followed it up with $3 million infusion in December 2015.

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