COIMBATORE: A corporate bond awareness programme for industrial units was held at the Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI), Coimbatore, on Friday with participation from SEBI and stock exchange officials, chamber office-bearers and entrepreneurs.SEBI chief general manager K Saravanan, speaking at a press meet ahead of the event, said corporate bonds offer more advantages than borrowing from banks. He said the plan is to increase adoption by enabling companies in each city to meet investors directly. He added that four such awareness meetings have been held in Mumbai and that Coimbatore is the first event being conducted outside Mumbai.SEBI executive director Maninder Seema said corporate bond investments across India stand at ₹59 lakh crore, with larger companies accounting for the bulk of participation. She said efforts are on to increase the share of small enterprises in the bond market and that around 100 similar meetings will be conducted across the country.She pointed out that bank loan interest rates can vary, while bond issuers can lock in interest rates in advance, access funds faster and often at lower rates than banks. She added that even unlisted companies can benefit through corporate bonds.BSE managing director and CEO Sundararaman Ramamurthy said even small and medium enterprises making investments of ₹1,000 crore exist and can scale up funding through bonds, improving revenue and profits. He said banks typically provide short-term credit and face constraints when extending long-term loans, while corporate bonds offer greater flexibility for longer-tenure fundraising.Stating that India has around six crore MSMEs but there are only 1,420 listed entities, he said corporate bond funding can support higher investment as India targets a $35 trillion economy by 2047.
