Ankur Jain Quits Bira 91 Board After 2-Year Standoff With Lenders, Investors

The Jain family, including Ankur Jain, founder of Bira 91, have decided to resign from their positions on the board and in leadership roles immediately. Jain made the decision after settling with the brewer's creditors. As a result, their operational involvement with the company has come to an end.

According to a letter written by Jain on July 21, the settlement ends months of negotiations in which around 30 parties with opposing interests were involved. His personal guarantees for business loans will also be released, and all claims and litigation against the other party will be withdrawn under the terms of the agreement.

Why Jain Decided to Quit Bira 91?

According to Jain, the business has exhausted all avenues for raising capital over the past 18 months. In particular, he brought attention to the fact that the brand had been unable to attract new investors until the last year and a half. It wasn't because the goal was unattainable or the team lost motivation; rather, it was because the company was unable to secure financing on favourable terms. He extended his apologies to the workers whose payments were still outstanding.

If an employee was due compensation and did not receive it when due, please accept my deepest apologies. "I will bear that burden," Jain wrote. The settlement, which Jain hailed as the "right outcome" for the company and himself, necessitates new funding for Bira 91. In addition, a fresh set of executives and a more solid financial foundation were prerequisites for the brand's next stage of expansion.

Bira 91 Settlement Details

Jain, looking back on the settlement process, remarked that the negotiations were more time-consuming than anticipated. Employees, vendors, lenders, and shareholders were all involved in the settlement process, and their objectives differed, which caused the delay. He called the process of negotiating a deal among over thirty different groups "close to a miracle". This news comes after a protracted financial crisis at Bira 91's manufacturer, B9 Beverages. In the previous two years, the firm has faced increasing losses and operational difficulties, making it difficult for it to obtain new funding.

After strategic investors Kirin Holdings and lender Anicut Capital acquired BTB (Better Than Before) in October 2025, B9 found itself in a legal battle. One of the group's few successful ventures, the Beer Café chain, is run by BTB. In light of B9's objections, which included claims of breach of contract, the Delhi High Court issued a temporary restraining order prohibiting the transfer or formation of third-party interests in BTB's stock until further proceedings were concluded. After an investment proposal from Global Emerging Markets (GEM) fell through, the company was also trying to raise money again. Subsequently, B9 changed its emphasis to attract investment from inside the country.