The World Bank’s investment arm is stepping up efforts to support global investors looking to expand their presence in India by backing India-focused private equity funds, according to Neha Grover, regional lead for the South Asia Funds Group at the International Finance Corporation. Reported by NDTV.
Speaking on Tuesday, Grover said the IFC is increasing its capital commitments in India’s private equity space and is actively helping international investors set up India-dedicated vehicles.
She revealed that fresh capital has already been allocated to one such fund backed by a global investor, while a second investment is close to being finalised. The funds were not named.
"One of our goals is also to develop the ecosystem. Can we get some more global managers to come in and start India-dedicated funds?," Grover said while addressing the IVCA Buyouts Summit in Mumbai.
She added that encouraging more global fund managers to establish India-specific platforms would help boost the inflow of high-quality international capital into the country.
Grover noted that while the IFC typically made one or two fund investments a year about six years ago, that number has now risen to an average of three to five annually.
In 2025, the IFC invested $30 million in L Catterton’s $600 million India-focused fund and set aside an additional $30 million for potential co-investments, according to a disclosure dated May 23.
The IFC is also backing Carlyle Group’s first India sidecar fund of $300 million, Bloomberg reported in November 2025.
The increased commitments highlight IFC’s growing role in shaping India’s private equity ecosystem and attracting long-term global capital into the market.
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