Reliance Secures Asia's Largest Syndicated Loan of 2025 at $2.98 Billion

Reliance Industries, controlled by Mukesh Ambani, the richest man in India, has reportedly obtained a $2.98 billion loan. In more than a year, this is the biggest deal of its kind for an Indian borrower.

According to cited sources, a further 55 banks have signed a loan deal. As of right now, it is the biggest consortium of lenders for a syndicated loan in Asia.

Loan levels in the Asia Pacific area, excluding Japan, have dropped to a 20-year low in 2025, according to data gathered by a news agency.

Only approximately $29 billion worth of agreements in the three main world currencies—the US dollar, the euro, and the Japanese yen—have been completed. Thus, in an Asian market with little transaction activity, this loan demonstrates lenders' desire for excellent investment prospects.

Surge in Indian Companies Seeking Loan in Foreign Currencies

According to data from a media outlet, the overall loan amount for the year is predicted to reach $10.4 billion following this Reliance deal, which is the quickest rate in at least a decade.

According to the research, it shows a pattern of a sharp rise in foreign exchange loans to Indian businesses. Reliance Industries' big borrowing is primarily to blame for this increase. According to a media report, the loan from Reliance Industries is split into two parts: $2.5 billion and ¥67.7 billion, or $463 million.

On May 9th, the loan deal was signed. Reliance Industries had not taken out a foreign loan since 2023 prior to this one. The business raised more than $8 billion in loans that year, including a $5 billion syndicated deal. About 55 lenders were drawn to the parent company's and its subsidiary Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd's prior loans.

According to Bloomberg data, banks were keen to lend to such highly rated businesses. At the moment, Reliance Industries' credit rating is one level higher than that of the Indian government. Since a company's creditworthiness is usually lower than that of its home country, this is rare. Reliance Industries has a BBB rating from Fitch Ratings and a Baa2 rating from Moody's Ratings.

Reliance Continues its Investment in Varieties of Businesses

The most recent loan was taken out as Reliance keeps increasing investment in all of its different operations.

During his speech at the company's annual general meeting (AGM) in August 2024, Mukesh Ambani outlined an ambitious plan, saying the group wanted to move up from its current ranking in the top 50 to the 30 most valuable companies in the world.

Ambani attributed this vision to the group's growing emphasis on sophisticated manufacturing and deep technology, two fields in which Reliance is now a stand-alone technology manufacturer.

He also presented ambitious expectations for the company's "New Energy" segment, estimating that within five to seven years, it will be as profitable and large as Reliance's conventional oil-to-chemicals (O2C) operation.

The group has pledged to make significant investments in the manufacturing of polyester, plastics, and biogas. These include a trial project for an integrated energy plantation, the construction of 55 compressed biogas plants by 2025, and increased capacity in speciality polyester, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and chlorinated PVC (CPVC) by 2026–2027.