HDFC sells education loan arm HDFC Credila to PE firms for Rs 9,060 crore

A consortium of private equity firms, including ChrysCapital, has acquired a 90% stake in HDFC Credila Financial Services for Rs 9,060 crore, HDFC Ltd said.

The sale of HDFC Credila, the education loan arm of Housing Development and Finance Corporation (HDFC), comes ahead of the completion of HDFC's merger with HDFC Bank.

"HDFC Ltd, HDFC Bank Ltd and HDFC Credila Financial Services Ltd, today announced they have entered into definitive agreements to sell a majority stake in HDFC Credila to an investor consortium of BPEA EQT and ChrysCapital," HDFC said in a stock exchange filing on Tuesday.

Total revenue of HDFC Credila during 2022-23 fiscal was Rs 1,352.18 crore and its net worth as on March 31, 2023 was Rs 2,435.09 crore.

The PE consortium include Kopvoorn B.V., Moss Investments Ltd, Defati Investments Holding B.V. and Infinity Partners.

Kopvoorn B.V. is part of the BPEA EQT group, and Moss Investments, Defati Investments Holding B.V. and Infinity Partners are part of the ChrysCapital group, HDFC said in a late night regulatory filing on Monday.

"The consortium valued HDFC Credila at a pre-money valuation of Rs 10,350 crore and will infuse primary proceeds of Rs 2,000 crore into the company," HDFC said.

HDFC will retain a 9.99% stake in HDFC Credila, which provides education loans to students pursuing higher education in India and overseas. The company has extended loans to over 1.24 lakh customers since its inception with the current loan book at over Rs 15,000 crore.

"We believe the business is well positioned to continue its strong growth momentum under its new shareholders," HDFC CEO Keki Mistry said.

Jimmy Mahtani, Partner and Head at BPEA EQT India, said looking ahead, BPEA EQT plans to accelerate HDFC Credila's digital transformation and invest significantly in the company's continued growth.