Strategy

ICICI's Gulf Business Channels $300 Million to India

Christopher Owen 28 September 2007

ICICI's Gulf Business Channels $300 Million to India

India's ICICI Bank said its year-old private-banking unit in Dubai has attracted at least $300 million of money from the Persian Gulf to India, the world’s second-fastest growing major economy. Interest in India has grown in the past two years as Gulf investors have looked for places to invest their record oil revenues. The investments were in 10 private equity deals and privately-placed share sales in India’s infrastructure, real estate and corporate sectors, Chetan Mehra, regional head of private banking at India’s second-biggest bank by assets, told Bloomberg. He said Gulf-based business groups, private equity companies and sovereign-wealth funds participated in the deals, which had an average size of about $30 million. He declined to disclose details because the deals are private. “There is an enormous amount of interest in investing in India,” Mehra said. “We could be doing at least another 10 deals over the next year.” ICICI Bank’s private-banking unit, in addition to offering wealth management in 18 countries, also helps channel investments into India. The bank’s offices in Dubai, Bahrain and Qatar are the largest contributors to its private banking business, said Anup Bagchi, senior general manager of global private banking.

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