Krungsri (Bank of Ayudhya Public Company Limited) has announced that it will sell a 50% stake in its wholly-owned Ngern Tid Lor Company Limited (“NTL”) business unit to an international private equity consortium led by CVC Capital Partners Asia Fund IV (“CVC”) and Equity Partners Limited (“EPL”). The move is expected to bolster the microfinance arm of Krungsri, which provides affordable credit and insurance solutions to Thailand’s underbanked and self-employed population.

Sharing his thoughts on the investment Schwin Chiaravanont, EPL’s partner, states, “On behalf of EPL, we are excited to partner with CVC and Krungsri in this landmark deal in the Thai financial services industry. NTL is not only a high-quality growth asset, but it also represents a strong reflection of our values in corporate culture and governance and we support the ambition to ameliorate conditions for Thailand’s underbanked communities.”

Brian Hong, Partner and Co-Head of Southeast Asia at CVC, said of the transaction, “We are tremendously pleased to be partnering with Krungsri and NTL. We are firm believers in the dynamic and passionate culture of service which has fuelled impressive growth and innovation at NTL. We are excited to be able to support the company in realising new opportunities and achieving its full potential.”

Piyasak Ukritnukun, Managing Director of NTL, commented, “Our new shareholders bring with them a combination of global expertise and local strength. We hope to benefit from new technologies, operational best practices and business development opportunities to help us better serve Thailand’s long-tail segment.”

“This is a significant transaction for Krungsri. We are confident that the CVC and EPL consortium is the right partner to help bring NTL to the next level and allow us to explore potential synergy with the consortium.” said Dan Harsono, Krungsri Head of Retail and Consumer Banking.

This transaction is subject to satisfactory completion of conditions precedent and regulatory filings. Krungsri appointed ING Bank N.V. as exclusive financial advisor on this transaction.

NTL is a privately-held market leading title loan operator that was acquired by Krungsri in 2009. As at the end of 2017, the company operated 750 branches across 74 provinces and had an outstanding loan portfolio of THB 24.6bn.