by Suman Gupta
- SBI concluded its largest inaugural Syndicated Social loan of $1 billion ($500 Mio + greenshoe of $500 Mio).
- The deal is the largest ESG loan by a commercial bank in the Asia Pacific and the second largest social loan globally.
- The issuance witnessed overwhelming participation from banks across Taiwan, Japan, China, and the Middle East ensuring a full subscription, including USD 500 Mio of the greenshoe option.
Mumbai, February 28, 2023: Country’s largest commercial bank, the State Bank of India (SBI) has announced the completion of a $1 billion Syndicated Social Loan Facility. This syndicated transaction is significant for SBI and the Indian ESG financing market since it is the largest ESG loan by a commercial bank in the Asia Pacific and the second-largest social loan globally. Additionally, this is the bank’s inaugural social loan and the first syndicated loan in the past five years.
The facility of $1 billion was arranged through MLABs, MUFG Bank, and Taipei Fubon Commercial Bank Co. Ltd. MUFG and Taipei Fubon Commercial Bank are Joint Social Loan Coordinators while MUFG is the Lead Social Loan Coordinator for this transaction.
On the occasion, Mr. Dinesh Khara, Chairman, SBI said, “As a responsible and sustainable organization, we are committed to conducting our business operations with the highest standards of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) practices. Issuance of our first social loan is an embodiment of our commitment to ESG driven by our belief that our long-term success depends not only on our financial performance but also on our ability to make a positive impact on the environment, on society, and on our stakeholders.”
This inaugural ESG transaction underscores SBI’s longstanding commitment to supporting green and social projects in India.
About State Bank of India:State Bank of India is the largest commercial bank in terms of assets, deposits, branches, customers, and employees. It is also the largest mortgage lender in the country which has so far fulfilled the home buying dreams of over 30 lakh Indian families. The home loan portfolio of the bank has crossed Rs. 6.00 lakh crore. As on December 31, 2022, the bank has a deposit base of over Rs. 42.90 lakh crore with CASA ratio of 44.48% and advances of more than Rs. 31 lakh crore. SBI commands a market share of 33.3% and 19.4% in home loans and auto loans respectively. SBI has the largest network of 22,381 branches and 65,650 ATMs / ADWMs in India with 70,258 BC outlets. The number of customers using internet banking and mobile banking stand at 111 million and 58 million respectively. With SBI’s digital strategy right on track – the bank witnessed 64% of new savings accounts opened through the integrated digital and lifestyle platform YONO in FY22. SBI observed 22,120 new digital savings bank accounts being opened per day via YONO in the quarter ended December 2022. YONO, which has 5.75 crore registered users, witnessed 1 crore plus average daily logins in Q3 FY23. In terms of digital lending, the bank disbursed pre-approved personal loans worth Rs. 5,050 crore through YONO in the same period. SBI also has the highest number of followers on Facebook and Twitter amongst all banks worldwide.
