Ex-JLL India Capital Markets MD Launches ANB Capital Advisors

Shobhit Agarwal, ex-Managing Director - Capital Markets & International Director of JLL Property Consultants (India) Pvt. Ltd., today launched ANB Capital Advisors Pvt. Ltd. The firm, headquartered in Mumbai, will focus exclusively on various asset classes of real estate. Mr. Agarwal heads a team of highly experienced real estate investment banking advisors with average 18-20 years of experience in structuring and executing both simple and complex transactions.

Already actively involved in several big-ticket deals, ANB Capital Advisors undertakes transactions under the ambit of investment banking business in the real estate industry. The key focus is on capital markets, corporate finance, hotels & hospitality, land, and warehousing and logistics across India. The Firm works with developers, landowners, capital providers including private equity funds, banks, insurance companies and financial institutions.

Shobhit Agarwal, MD & CEO - ANB Capital Advisors Pvt. Ltd.

"The capital requirements in Indian real estate are immense," says Shobhit Agarwal, MD & CEO - ANB Capital Advisors. "To give a perspective, India still has a shortage of 18 million homes that requires USD 330 billion of construction funding. The existing gross bank credit to the sector is less than USD 55 billion. If we consider the larger sector beyond residential, the capital infusion requirements are virtually limitless."

"Indian real estate is metamorphosing into a highly transparent industry into which all large global funds will want to enter aggressively," he says. "Intermediary services in this space are very thin on the ground, and there is considerable scope for organized professional advisors. The launch of ANB Capital Advisors could not be better-timed, given the high deal flows in residential and office real estate."

Commenting on the prevailing funding scenario in the Indian real estate sector, Mr. Agarwal says, "Quality office assets available at attractive valuations currently attract the majority of equity investments. Residential will continue to look for financing options till equity investors focus more on this sector. In the GST era, there is also a lot of interest in warehousing and logistics. 2017 saw more than USD 4.2 billion of investments flowing into real estate, missing 2016 investments by a whisker. 2018 will be equally good - and if REITs launch this year, we can certainly surpass the 2016 numbers with room to spare."

While there is equity and debt capital available, in most cases developers and funding avenues cannot connect with each other due to lack of resources, connections and intent. Developers need services that precisely understand capital providers' needs, while capital providers look for trustworthy intermediaries. ANB Capital Advisors brings to the table its strong connections and trust, enabling it to close almost all deals that pass the necessary due diligence.

The Firms strong relationships with both developers and capital providers have been created and nurtured through sustained efforts of its key members over their professional life. Shobhit Agarwal himself has over 18 years of experience in the property finance and investment sector and has overseen several major cross-border real estate transactions. He and his team are highly experienced in structuring joint ventures, equity raising, debt advisory and advising on disposals and acquisitions in core markets.

About ANB Capital Advisors Private Limited

ANB Capital Advisors is an India-based Real Estate Investment banking firm that advises on high-value investment banking transactions in the real estate industry. Its business focus is across asset classes in the Capital Markets, Corporate Finance, Hotels & Hospitality spaces, Land, and Warehousing & Logistics. ANB Capital Advisors is headquartered in Mumbai and operates in the top 7 Indian cities as well as select Tier II and Tier III cities. With a current team strength of 10 highly experienced experts and a view to expanding to 25 by end-2018, ANB Capital Advisors works with the entire spectrum of developers, landowners, capital providers including private equity funds, banks, insurance companies and financial institutions.