Press release -
May 20, 2024

Tata Motors’ subsidiaries – TPEM and TMPV join hands with Bajaj Finance, offers financing program for authorized passenger and electric vehicle dealers

In a bid to improve options and ease of financing for the dealers, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles (TMPV) and Tata Passenger Electric Mobility (TPEM) – subsidiaries of Tata Motors, India’s leading automotive manufacturer, have joined hands with Bajaj Finance, part of Bajaj Finserv Ltd., one of India’s leading and most diversified financial services groups, to extend supply chain finance solutions to its passenger and electric vehicle dealers. Through this memorandum of understanding (MoU), the participating companies will come together to leverage Bajaj Finance’s wide reach to help dealers of TMPV and TPEM access funding with minimal collateral.

The MoU for this partnership was signed by Mr. Dhiman Gupta, Chief Financial Officer, Tata Passenger Electric Mobility Ltd. and Director, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles Ltd. and Mr. Siddhartha Bhatt, Chief Business Officer, Bajaj Finance Ltd.

Commenting on the partnership, Mr. Dhiman Gupta, Chief Financial Officer, Tata Passenger Electric Mobility Ltd. and Director, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles Ltd., said, “Our dealer partners are integral to our business, and we are happy to actively work towards solutions to help them in ease of doing business. Together, we aim to further grow the market and offer our New Forever portfolio to an increasing set of customers. To that effect, we are excited to partner with Bajaj Finance for this financing program, which will further strengthen the access of our dealer partners to increased working capital.”

Speaking on this partnership, Mr. Anup Saha, Deputy Managing Director, Bajaj Finance Ltd, said, “At Bajaj Finance, we have always strived to provide best-in-class processes by using the India stack for financing solutions that empower both individuals and businesses. Through this financing program, we will arm TMPV and TPEM’s authorized passenger and electric vehicle dealers with financial capital, which will enable them to seize the opportunities offered by a growing passenger vehicles market. We are confident that this collaboration will not only benefit dealers but also contribute to, and enhance the growth of, the automotive industry in India.”

TMPV and TPEM have been pioneering the Indian automotive market with its groundbreaking efforts it both ICE and EV segments. The company’s overarching New Forever philosophy has led to the introduction of segment leading products which are being appreciated by consumers at large.

Bajaj Finance is one of the most diversified NBFCs in India with presence across lending, deposits and payments, serving over 83.64 million customers. As of March 31, 2024, the company’s assets under management stood at ₹3,30,615 crore.

Media Contact Information: Tata Motors Corporate Communications: [email protected] / 91 22-66657613 / www.tatamotors.com

Drive Finance, a GB Capital subsidiary and part of GB Corp’s financial division, has closed its fifth securitisation bond issuance, valued at EGP 1.4bn. This marks the second issuance under Capital Securitization’s fifth program, which aims for a total of EGP 5bn.

Following the previous issuance in December, this latest development highlights the company’s portfolio growth and investor confidence.

Ahmed Osama, Managing Director of Drive Finance, welcomed the robust investor response, noting that interest surpassed the issuance amount twofold. “This enthusiasm underscores our strong market position and our sustained creditworthiness amidst economic challenges,” he remarked.

Remon Gaber, Drive Finance’s Treasury Head, took pride in the issuance’s success, attributing it to the strategic diversification of funding sources. This approach has bolstered the company’s objectives, broadened its financing services, and extended its market presence, thereby boosting its share in consumer finance and factoring sectors.

The issuance comprised three tranches:

• First Tranche: EGP 546.8m, 13-month term, AA+(sf) rating.
• Second Tranche: EGP 644.9m, 36-month term, AA(sf) rating.
• Third Tranche: EGP 210.3m, 58-month term, A(sf) rating.

Commercial International Bank (CIB) played a pivotal role as the financial advisor, manager, arranger, and promoter. Arab African International Bank was the custodian, underwriter, and subscription handler. Legal advice was provided by the El-Derini Law Office, while Sherif Mansour Dabus–Russell Bedford conducted the audit. Middle East Rating & Investors Service (MERIS) assigned the ratings.

A call for a five-year moratorium on bank branch closures North and South of the Border was backed by delegates at the Financial Services Union (FSU) conference in Belfast on Saturday.

The motion was one of a number adopted that expressed support for the safeguarding of access to cash and provision of financial services and advice, all of which were seen as important to communities and, in particular, older customers.

FSU general secretary John O’Connell said the scale of bank bailouts received after the 2008 crash continued to give the debate on branch closures a moral aspect.

“We need the banks to remember that it was the people in these communities who bailed out their business,” Mr O’Connell said. “We are not saying they can never close branches but we are saying it would be reasonable to pause the closures now for five years, so everyone can consider what is on the horizon.”

Roger James, representing the AIB sector, told the conference the issue of closures has had an “unbelievable” impact on staff over the years. He said opposition to additional closures was not just about protecting jobs but also about protecting communities.

“People need and want access to cash, access to services,” Mr James said.

AIB’s branch network in the North had shrunk from 32 to seven, he said, with the company suggesting the reduction had been driven by changing customer behaviour. But Mr James said “if you find a branch that’s open now and then find a staff member, all they can do is point you to a machine, so it is the banks that are driving people away”.

Wilma Stewart, a staff member at Danske Bank, said its network will have declined in size from 104 when she joined the company to 24 by June 6th when another four branches are due to shut. The reduction, she said, was “staggering”.

“What we need to see is the development of a blend of services,” Ms Stewart said, referring to a proposed balance of service provision between online, and branched through third parties, such as post offices.

“Many people are happy to do their banking online but no community or sector of business should be left without blended services,” she said.

In the Republic, the various banks closed 176 branches in the five years to September 2023. As of now, Bank of Ireland and AIB still have about 170 each with PTSB operating just shy of 100 in the wake of its takeover of parts of the former Ulster Bank network.

Tom Ruttledge, from the Bank of Ireland sector, said banks were “withdrawing services from locations because it suits their cost model, not because it suits their customers”.

Older clients, he said, often missed out on advice from staff that might have helped them make better decisions with regard to financial services and products.

Ali Agur, chief economist and head of prudential regulation at the Banking and Payments Federation Ireland, said he did not believe the decision to close a branch was “purely about a profit and loss decision”.

“Banking is a relationship business and AI is not going to build that relationship for you,” Mr Agur said.

Nevertheless, he said, the trend is areas like ATM cash withdrawals was clear with substantial declines both in terms of value and volume, while more recent entrants to the retail financial services market were piggybacking on the ATM network without contributing to the costs involved. “We need to recognise the reality of the situation.”