Temasek aims to invest up to $13.4b in India as it turns cautious over China

MUMBAI — Singapore's investment company, Temasek, plans to invest up to US$10 billion (S$13.4 billion) in India over three years in sectors such as financial services and healthcare, a top executive said on July 15, favouring the South Asian nation as it turns cautious over China.

India's economy is growing sharply and its stock markets are trading near record highs amid an initial public offering (IPO) and deal-making boom. India accounts for 7 per cent of Temasek's global exposure, which it wants to increase further, said Mohit Bhandari, the company's managing director for India investments.

"We are bullish in India for the long term," Bhandari said in an interview at Temasek's Mumbai office.

"We are cognisant of the current economic and the geopolitical tensions that exist (in China) and to that extent, we will align our portfolio accordingly," he added.

Temasek last week said that profits from investments in the United States and India were helping to cushion the impact of underperformance in China. Temasek also said that it is taking a cautious approach to China amid trade tensions.

About 22 per cent of Temasek's investments are in the United States and 19 per cent in China, and its exposure to the Americas surpassed China in the last financial year for the first time in a decade.

In India, Temasek deployed US$3 billion in the fiscal year that ended March 31, its largest annual investment so far.

Bhandari also said that Temasek will look at hiring more staff in India from the current 20 as its portfolio grows, but declined to share specifics.

Temasek's current India exposure includes investments in HDFC Bank, IPO-bound e-scooter maker Ola Electric and Manipal Hospitals.

In April 2023, Temasek spent US$2 billion to raise its stake in Manipal to 59 per cent from 18 per cent in the biggest hospital sector deal ever in India. It later sold a minority stake to Novo Nordisk's parent Novo Holdings and Abu Dhabi's sovereign investor Mubadala.

Indian hospital chains and healthcare groups are seeing more and more interest from foreign investors as many expand into smaller cities where demand for private care is rising as public hospitals remain overburdened.

Temasek will continue to scout for more investment opportunities in the healthcare space as it believes the sector is a "multi-decade" growth story in India, Bhandari said.

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