9.85% ECL Finance Ltd NCD – July 2018 – Should you Invest?

ECL Finance Ltd. has come out with public issue of non-convertible debentures (NCD) offering up to 9.85% interest rate. The issue opens on July 24 and closes on August 16, 2018.

ECL Finance Ltd is a non-banking finance company, focused on offering a broad suite of secured corporate loan products, retail loan products which are customized to suit the needs of the corporate, SMEs and individuals.

ECL Finance NCD – Significant Points:

• Offer Period: July 24 to August 16, 2018
• Annual Interest Rates for Retail Investors: 9.25% to 9.85% depending on tenure
• Price of each bond: Rs 1,000
• Minimum Investment: 10 Bonds (Rs 10,000)
• Max Investment Limit for Retail Investor: Rs 10 Lakhs
• Credit Rating: “CRISIL AA/Stable” and “[ICRA]AA (stable)”
• NCD Size: Rs 500 crore with option to retain over-subscription up to Rs 2,000 crore
• NRIs are NOT eligible to apply to this NCD issue.
• Allotment: First Come First Serve
• Listing: Bonds would be listed on BSE and NSE and will entail capital gains tax on exit through secondary market

Also Read – Know NCD – Investment Tips, TDS and Taxation

ECL Finance NCD – Investment Options:

There are 8 options of investment in ECL Finance NCD.

Series VIII offers floating interest rate benchmarked to MIBOR (Mumbai Inter-Bank Offered Rate). As of July 19, 2018 this was 6.29%. So as of today the interest rate on offer would be 8.79% (6.29% + 2.50%). You can check latest MIBOR rates here.

Company shall allocate and allot Series II NCDs wherein the Applicants have not indicated their choice of the relevant NCD Series.

The bonds can be purchased both in Demat and Physical Form.

ECL Finance NCD – Who can Apply?

This issue is open to all Indian residents, HUFs and Institutions.

• Category I – QIB Portion – 20% of the issue is reserved
• Category II – Corporate Portion – 20% of the issue is reserved
• Category II – HNIs – 30% of the issue is reserved
• Category III – Retail Individual Investors including HUFs – 50% of the issue is reserved

However NRIs cannot apply for this NCD.

Why you should invest?

1. The credit rating is AA which is good for investment purpose
2. The NCD is secured, which means the above debt is backed by assets of the company
3. The interest rates are 2%-3% higher than your regular Bank FDs
4. No TDS if invested in Demat Form

Also Read: Highest Interest Rate on Recurring Deposits

Why you should not invest?

1. The banks have started increasing interest rates on fixed deposits and hence it may not be good idea to invest for long term (DO not go for 10 year tenure – you might get better opportunities going forward).
2. You can also invest in high rated company fixed deposits
3. For people in highest tax bracket Tax free bonds are trading at yields of 6.1% to 6.3% – which would turn out to be better and more secure investment

How to Apply?

If you have Demat account apply through that or ASBA facility provided by banks. It’s the easiest way to apply and also avoids a lot of hassle in terms of KYC and paper work

Learn: How to apply for NCD issues using ASBA?

In case you don’t want to do it online, you can download the application form from Financial Institutions and submit to collection centers.

Recommendation:

1. My recommendation is to invest some part of your Fixed Income investment in this NCD Issue  (3 or 5 year tenure bonds only)
2. You should always have diversified portfolio be it fixed deposit, NCD or equity investment
3. Its good idea to remain invested till maturity because liquidity on exchanges is low and hence you would get lower than market value
4. You can also play rising interest rate by opting for Series VIII which is linked to MIBOR rates.

If you plan to invest in this issue, do it early as most NCD issues are over-subscribed within few days of opening.