Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG), Japan’s largest bank by assets and market cap, is close to buying a 20% minority stake in India’s Shriram Finance Limited (SFL), for an investment of $4.4 billion.
SFL is one of the largest non-banking financial companies (NBFC), with assets under management totalling approximately $31 billion.
The negotiations are ongoing, and the agreement is not yet confirmed. The price and stake size could change, the agreement may be delayed, or even fall apart in the coming days.
Shriram’s shares rose nearly 50% this year on India’s National Stock Exchange and the Bombay Stock Exchange, giving a market value of around $18 billion, marking its fifth straight year of positive returns.
The reasons for the rally were: SFL’s strong fundamentals; the Reserve Bank of India’s easing for NBFCs; India’s rising Gross Domestic Product, which is increasing demand for SFL’s core lending segments; SFL’s final 150% dividend payout; and the proposed agreement with MUFG.
MUFG is not the first bank to propose a stake in an Indian bank. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (SMFG), Japan’s second-largest bank, acquired a 20% stake in Yes Bank for $1.6 billion in May 2025, via secondary purchases from the State Bank of India and other banks. SMFG later became the single largest shareholder, acquiring a 24.2% stake in Yes Bank. It has already deployed almost $5 billion and is seeking to expand lending operations and increase employee strength.
Yet another Japanese financial group, Mizuho Securities, a unit of Mizuho Financial Group, is set to acquire a majority stake in Indian investment bank Avendus from KKR for up to $523 million in December 2025. This move will make Avendus a consolidated subsidiary of the Japanese financial group.
Some of the factors that attracted Japanese investors were India’s economic growth projected to grow at 6.5% in 2026, outpacing Japan’s stagnant domestic market, a 1.4 billion consumer base, low banking penetration, Reserve Bank of India’s robust regulatory reforms, eased foreign investment norms, and strong Japan-India collaboration in infrastructure projects like the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train.
Since announcing its deal with Shriram, MUFG has reportedly seen increased interest from automakers looking to boost sales through preferential financing. Should the acquisition close, MUFG plans to have staff in Tokyo and Singapore to develop and execute these deals.
