AFC raises Rs. 1 b in subordinate debt to strengthen Tier II capital

Alliance Finance Co PLC (AFC) has successfully raised Rs. 1 billion in Tier II capital, with the aim of strengthening the regulatory capital of the company to financially empower and facilitate the development of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise sector in Sri Lanka. The Tier II Subordinated Debt has a tenure of five years and has been structured and arranged by Capital Alliance Ltd. (CAL), a leading investment bank in the country.

Commenting on this important milestone, AFC Deputy Chairman and Managing Director Romani de Silva stated: “This is a reflection of the confidence our investors have in our sustainable business philosophy. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Sri Lankan micro, small and medium entrepreneurs need more support than ever before and raising of Rs. 1 billion as subordinate debt strengthened our Tier II capital which gives us an enormous capacity to develop micro, small and medium scale entrepreneurs of Sri Lanka using our proven business models. Furthermore, we extend our sincere appreciation to the investor CAL for the trust placed in us. 

“Subsequent to an internal restructure with the technical assistance of IFC (private sector arm of the World Bank Group) in 2019, all of the performance metrics of the company have improved tremendously outperforming its peers in the industry with a loan book growth of 1.6%, profit growth of 169% and a highly commendable reduction in NPL’s by 23 % for the financial year ended 2020/21, validating the impact of the restructure. As the oldest finance company in Sri Lanka and as a net lender to the rural economy, AFC is focussing on financial inclusivity and sustainable development of all communities.”

AFC’s approach to sustainability is holistic and goes beyond economic empowerment with an equal emphasis placed upon social and environmental sustainability as well. AFC has institutionalised the values of its founding fathers by adopting the Triple Bottom Line Approach in 2012, followed by numerous other actions to become the sustainable financial institution it is today. 

In 2020, AFC became the first financial institution in South Asia to be certified for holistic sustainability under the pioneering Sustainability Standards and Certification Initiative (SSCI). SSCI is governed under the International Council of Sustainability Standards for Value-Driven Financial Institutions, Germany. This has resulted in an even greater focus on this unwavering commitment of the Company and better measurements of the impact created. 

AFC is also amongst the highest contributors of net profits towards sustainability initiatives in the industry. The company has dedicated an annual allocation of 4% of profits for sustainability and CSR initiatives. The company has many initiatives including the ‘1 Mn Trees for Unity’ flagship project that aims to plant one million trees by 2024 whilst meeting social and environmental objectives. To date the Company has contributed over 350,000 plants to the nation. In addition, conserving biodiversity, empowering social entrepreneurs, promoting sustainable products and undertaking CSR practices that ensure social and environmental wellbeing remain as AFC’s key priorities under its sustainability mandate.

The AFC business powered by a dynamic and empowered young team of 1300 visionary individuals will continue to support the global and local sustainable development agenda, with its high impact goals in place to ensure focused value creation in line with the UN SDGs and National Development Agenda. AFC believes that synergistic partnerships with its foreign financing partners such as IFC, FMO, DWM, Tridos Bank and other impact investors will add further value to its approach and facilitate value distribution to a wider range of stakeholders in the country. AFC is eager to uphold these partnerships and collaborations that facilitate sustainable development in Sri Lanka and have confidence that they will undoubtedly accelerate its journey of “making the world a better place through sustainable finance”.