Vision
Maritime transformation
A leading maritime-focused financial institution enabling world-class infrastructure, connectivity, port-led industrialisation and inclusive growth.
About SMFCL
Strategic financial enabler of India’s maritime transformation
Sagarmala Finance Corporation Limited (SMFCL) serves as a strategic financial enabler of India’s maritime transformation, supporting port-led development through targeted financing solutions. The Corporation addresses critical funding gaps across the maritime value chain, enabling infrastructure growth, logistics efficiency, and sustainable sectoral development.
The organisation traces its origins to Sagarmala Development Company Limited (SDCL), incorporated on 31 August 2016 as a Government of India enterprise under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, with a mandate to drive port-led development across the country. With 100% ownership by the Government of India, SMFCL operates as a Mini Ratna Category-I Central Public Sector Enterprise and is registered with the Reserve Bank of India as a Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC-ICC).
Acting on the Reserve Bank of India’s recommendation, the organisation was reconstituted as Sagarmala Finance Corporation Limited following shareholder approval in May 2025. This transition was formally completed on 19 June 2025, when the Reserve Bank of India granted its Certificate of Registration, authorising SMFCL to operate as a non-deposit taking NBFC — India’s first financial institution exclusively dedicated to the maritime sector.
Kindly submit loan proposals on loan@sdclindia.com. Credit ratings: CARE AA+ Stable · India Ratings AA+ Stable.
Mandate
Vision, mission and role
From the Vision page of Sagarmala Finance Corporation Limited.
Mission
Close critical funding gaps
Sustainable and innovative financing solutions that support projects across the maritime value chain.
Role
What SMFCL finances
Port modernisation, road and rail connectivity, port-led industrialisation, coastal community development, inland waterways and hinterland links.
Focus
Policy-aligned financing
Aligned with national maritime policies and international benchmarks — Sagarmala, Maritime India Vision and Amrit Kaal.
Offerings
Where the book is deployed
The same three facilities, used across the maritime value chain.
Ports
Port infrastructure
Berths, yards, cargo-handling and terminal capacity — staged against engineer-certified milestones.
Logistics
Hinterland connectivity
Warehouses, 3PL operators and multimodal links that cut the cost of moving cargo from port to hinterland.
Coastal
Vessels and harbour craft
Asset-backed finance for coastal vessels, harbour craft and last-mile waterfront assets.
Industry
Port-led industry
Working capital and term credit for operators around the terminal, not only the civil works.
How we lend
From enquiry to first drawdown
01
Apply
Register on the portal or walk into a port branch. The same file either way.
02
Appraise & sanction
CKYC, DPR and site, DSCR and IRR, then a credit committee. The sanction letter is binding.
03
Draw & service
Legal and security, first drawdown, then demands and statements on the portal.
Delhi
Head office
Mumbai
Port branch
Chennai
Port branch
Kochi
Port branch