Sagarmala Finance Corporation, India’s first maritime-focused non-banking financial company, has announced plans to raise up to Rs 10,000 crore (approximately 1.08 billion US dollars) in financial year 2027 to expand lending across ports, shipbuilding, and waterways.
Managing Director L.V.S. Sudhakar Babu confirmed in an interview with Reuters that the state-owned company will tap multiple funding channels including bonds, term loans, and foreign-currency borrowings. Notably, Sagarmala Finance will enter the bond market for the first time in June this year, marking a significant milestone in its evolution as a full-scale maritime financier.
Established under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways in 2016, Sagarmala Finance received its NBFC licence in June 2025 and also administers the government’s Rs 25,000 crore Maritime Development Fund. Within this fund, a Rs 5,000 crore Interest Incentivisation Fund enables the company to offer interest subsidies to eligible borrowers, making maritime financing more accessible for developers and operators.
The company is targeting loan disbursements of Rs 8,000 crore to Rs 9,000 crore in the year ending March 2027. To sustain its growing loan book while maintaining a healthy debt-to-equity ratio, Sagarmala Finance is also seeking a Rs 2,000 crore equity infusion from the government, signalling its ambition to scale aggressively as India doubles down on maritime infrastructure development.
