Hong Kong-based ADM Capital to invest Rs. 80 crores in Rama Pulp and Papers

ADM Capital, a Hong Kong-based distressed debt fund will invest about Rs. 80 crores in mid-sized paper company Rama Pulp & Papers, which will use the funds for capex and for future programmes, including an acquisition (See Related Post). ADM is learnt to have been selected from players like Bank of America, Actis and DBZ.

ADM Capital joins a growing list of foreign private equity firms such as Citigroup, Standard Chartered, WL Ross, Clearwater and Eight Capital that have been cherry picking underperforming companies in India that they think have the potential to grow and churn profits in the next 4-5 years.

Formed in 1996, ADM Capital advises investment funds that make principal investments in distressed companies and special investment opportunities. ADM Capital had earlier joined Asian Development Bank to raise a $138mn fund to rehabilitate distressed companies in Asia. India’s distressed assets are estimated at $55 bn (about Rs. 253,000 crores). Distressed debt funds typically focus on companies that have either filed for bankruptcy or are likely to do so in the near future. The fund gets involved in restructuring to pull the company out from bankruptcy. Distressed debt firms often forgive the debt obligations of the company in return for equity.

Read the article in The Economic Times.

Mumbai-based Rama Pulp and Paper acquires newsprint company

Mumbai-based cultural and specialty paper maker Rama Pulp and Papers is acquiring a newsprint company for Rs. 60 crores. The deal will be funded by an undisclosed foreign fund. Rama Pulp has declined to name the target company and the foreign fund owing to confidentiality clauses.

The fund will provide Rs. 50 crores for the acquisition while the rest will come from the company’s internal accruals.

Opportunities in newsprint and its low costs have attracted foreign players too, with majors such as Stora Enso and UBA mulling options to build a plant in India mainly to cater to the local market.

Of late, foreign funds’ interest in the Indian paper sector has been growing steadily. IFC, the investment arm of the World Bank is already in collaboration with West Coast Paper, JK Paper and AP Paper. Other firms like Goldman Sachs are more keen on picking up equity stakes in Indian paper companies as an 8% growth in the local economy makes paper all the more attractive.

Read the complete article from The Economic Times.