- Business
- Indian Railway Finance Corporation Limited (IRFC) serves as the dedicated financing arm of Indian Railways, mobilizing funds from domestic and overseas capital markets through bonds, term loans, and external commercial borrowings to meet the predominant portion of Indian Railways' extra budgetary resources requirements. The company leases rolling stock assets including locomotives, passenger coaches, and freight wagons; finances railway infrastructure and project assets such as capacity enhancement works; and extends loans to railway sector entities like Rail Vikas Nigam Limited, Railtel Corporation of India Limited, Konkan Railway Corporation Limited, and others. Registered as a systemically important non-deposit taking non-banking financial company and infrastructure finance company with the Reserve Bank of India, IRFC operates primarily in India under the administrative control of the Ministry of Railways, Government of India, which holds an 86.36% promoter stake as of late 2024.
Founded on December 12, 1986, and headquartered in New Delhi, IRFC has cumulatively funded over 13,349 locomotives, 73,979 passenger coaches, 259,661 freight wagons, and significant project assets, constituting approximately 75% of Indian Railways' rolling stock fleet.
In recent developments, IRFC attained Navratna public sector enterprise status in March 2025, enhancing its operational autonomy as the 26th such PSU in India; signed a memorandum of understanding with RITES Limited to strengthen cooperation in financing and developing railway infrastructure projects; entered a co-financing agreement with India Infrastructure Finance Company Limited (IIFCL) for railway infrastructure initiatives; secured a USD 300 million external commercial borrowing from Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation's GIFT City branch in December 2025, marking its return to international markets after over three years; and signed a lease agreement with NTPC in January 2025 to finance eight BOBR rakes under the General Purpose Wagon Investment Scheme, with plans to fund up to 20 such rakes worth up to Rs. 700 crore.