Warburg Pincus a leading global private equity firm focused on growth investments, on October 10 announced that an affiliate of private equity funds managed by Warburg Pincus LLC, has entered into definitive agreements to acquire a majority stake in Vistaar Finance, an NBFC lending to MSMEs in India.
Exiting shareholders would include WestBridge Capital (WestBridge), Elevar Equity (Elevar), Omidyar Network India (Omidyar) and Saama Capital (Saama). The transaction is subject to regulatory and certain other approvals, it added.
Kotak Investment Banking is the exclusive financial advisor to this Transaction.
Vistaar Finance was founded by Brahmanand Hegde & Ramakrishna Nishtala, veterans in the financial services domain, with the mission to serve small businesses. Vistaar Finance manages an AUM of over INR 2,600cr with presence across 12 states and 205 branches.
Brahmanand Hegde, Executive Vice Chairman, Vistaar Finance said, “We are excited to partner with Warburg Pincus and leverage the firm’s deep experience of investing in the financial services sector in India. Their investment is a testimony to the strong foundation we have built at Vistaar. We look forward to working with Warburg Pincus to help drive Vistaar’s vision of being a catalyst, enabling the underserved segment to achieve economic independence and social well-being.”
Ramakrishna Nishtala, MD & CEO, Vistaar Finance said, “It is indeed a pleasure to get Warburg Pincus on board. With the support of our existing partners, WestBridge, Elevar, Omidyar and Saama, we have come a long way over the last decade and established our position as a leading specialist MSME lender. We look forward to continue building on the legacy as we look ahead to the next phase of growth.”
Narendra Ostawal, Managing Director, Warburg Pincus said, “We believe micro-enterprises in semi-urban and rural India are underserved by formal sources of credit and we believe Vistaar has the potential to fulfil that need gap and be a driver for broad-based growth on those regions and communities. Warburg Pincus has a deep history in partnering with exceptional teams, particularly within financial services and looks forward to a similarly exciting future at Vistaar.”
