IIFL Home Finance Limited (IIFL), India’s leading housing finance company, has signed a $68 million loan agreement with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to improve financial access to affordable green housing for lower-income women borrowers in India.
The funding comprises a direct ADB loan of up to $58 million and a $10 million concessional loan by the Canadian Climate Fund for the Private Sector in Asia (CFPS). From ADB’s loan, 80% will be earmarked for lending to women borrowers or co-borrowers and 20% allocated to financing mortgages for green-certified homes. The CFPS loan will support IIFL’s green housing portfolio, specifically towards incentivizing developers to adopt green certification standards in building affordable housing.
“By leveraging IIFL’s focus on financial inclusion and CPFS’ leadership on climate-resilient housing, ADB can help low-income communities to manage the impacts of climate change,” said ADB Director General for Private Sector Operations Suzanne Gaboury. “We are pleased to support IIFL in demonstrating to the construction industry that you can build both affordable and green-certified housing for low-income households.”
Women often find it difficult to obtain mortgage loans in India. A 2017 study showed that only 5% of women have borrowed from a formal financial institution and only 3% have an outstanding housing loan. Lack of property ownership contributes to the low social status of women, their vulnerability to poverty, and low bargaining power within households.
“Funding from ADB will help us to improve the penetration of green affordable housing in deeper markets of India and fulfill the dreams of many Indian families to own their own homes. We are glad to be partnering with ADB in our growth journey,” said IIFL CEO and Executive Director Monu Ratra.
Green-certified buildings can be more expensive to build, which has limited their uptake among homebuyers and developers in India. The market is also constrained by a lack of awareness that building green homes can result in long-term savings of up to 35%, and are less vulnerable to climate-related risks.
IIFL has 125 branches across 18 states. With a focus on India’s lower income groups and economically weaker sections, IIFL can service almost all of its customers digitally.
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