Press Release VANCHINAD FINANCE PRIVATE LIMITED September 01, 2022 Rating Downgraded and Issuer not co-operating

Product	Quantum (Rs. Cr)	Long Term Rating	Short Term Rating
Bank Loan Ratings	35.00	ACUITE B+ | Downgraded | Issuer not co-operating*	-
Total Outstanding Quantum (Rs. Cr)	35.00	-	-
Total Withdrawn Quantum (Rs. Cr)	0.00	-	-

Rating Rationale

­Acuité has downgraded the long term rating to ‘ACUITE B+’ (read as ACUITE B plus) from ‘ACUITE BB-’ (read as ACUITE double B minus) on the Rs.35.00 crore bank facilities of Vanchinad Finance Private Limited.The rating continues to be flagged as “Issuer Not- Cooperating” and has been downgraded on account of information risk.

About the Company

­Vanchinad Finance Private Limited (VFPL), incorporated in 1987 is a non-deposit taking NBFC having its registered office at Thrissur, Kerala.  VFPL is a wholly owned subsidiary of SML Finance Limited and was acquired by SML Finance Limited in May 2016 with the aim to expand the latter's microfinance business. VFPL offers microfinance loans under the Self-help group (SHG) model. Spread across 10 districts across Kerala and Tamil Nadu, the company has a network of 32 branches with assets under management (AUM) of Rs 83.44 crores as on September 30, 2018. It is led by Mr. Jijo Kuriyappan, Chief General Manager, who has around 17 years of overall experience; of which more than 11 years are in Micro-finance business.The Current Directors of Vanchinad Finance Private Limited are Mr Kadapuram Mathewsmathai, Mr Kocheril Ittoop Varghese, Ms Susanna Isaac, Mr Griger Cherry Williams and Mr Abin M Behanan The Managing Director of the group company- SML Finance Ltd, Mr. William Varghese has more than 2 decades of experience in financial services.

Non-cooperation by the issuer/borrower:

­Acuité has been requesting for data, information and undertakings from the rated entity for conducting surveillance & review of the rating. However, the issuer / borrower failed to submit such information before the due date. Acuité believes that information risk is a critical component in such ratings, and noncooperation by the issuer along with an unwillingness to provide information could be a sign of potential deterioration in its overall credit quality.

Limitation regarding information availability:

­The rating is based on information available from sources other than the issuer/borrower (in the absence of information provided by the issuer/borrower). Acuité endeavored to gather information about the entity/industry from the public domain. Therefore, Acuité cautions lenders and investors regarding the use of such information, on which the indicative credit rating is based.

About the Rated Entity - Key Financials

­The rated entity has not shared the latest financial statements despite repeated requests.

Rating Sensitivity

­"No information provided by the issuer / available for Acuite to comment upon."

Material Covenants

­Not Applicable

Liquidity Position

­No information provided by the issuer / available for Acuité to comment upon.

Outlook

­Not Applicable

Status of non-cooperation with previous CRA

­Not Applicable

Any other information

­Acuité is yet to receive the latest No Default Statement (NDS) from the rated entity, despite repeated requests and follow-ups.

Applicable Criteria

• Non-Banking Financing Entities: https://www.acuite.in/view-rating-criteria-44.htm • Default Recognition: https://www.acuite.in/view-rating-criteria-52.htm

Note on Complexity Levels of the Rated Instrument

https://www.acuite.in/view-rating-criteria-55.htm

Rating History

Date Name of Instruments/Facilities Term Amount (Rs. Cr) Rating/Outlook 09 Jun 2021 Cash Credit Long Term 19.50 ACUITE BB- (Downgraded and Issuer not co-operating*) Term Loan Long Term 10.00 ACUITE BB- (Downgraded and Issuer not co-operating*) Proposed Bank Facility Long Term 5.50 ACUITE BB- (Downgraded and Issuer not co-operating*) 12 Mar 2020 Term Loan Long Term 10.00 ACUITE BB (Downgraded and Issuer not co-operating*) Proposed Bank Facility Long Term 5.50 ACUITE BB (Downgraded and Issuer not co-operating*) Cash Credit Long Term 19.50 ACUITE BB (Downgraded and Issuer not co-operating*) 19 Feb 2019 Cash Credit Long Term 19.50 ACUITE BB+ | Stable (Assigned) Term Loan Long Term 10.00 ACUITE BB+ | Stable (Assigned) Proposed Bank Facility Long Term 5.50 ACUITE BB+ | Stable (Assigned)

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Annexure - Details of instruments rated

Lender’s Name ISIN Facilities Date Of Issuance Coupon Rate Maturity Date Quantum (Rs. Cr.) Rating State Bank of India Not Applicable Cash Credit Not Applicable Not Applicable Not Applicable 19.50 ACUITE B+ | Downgraded | Issuer not co-operating* ( from ACUITE BB- ) Not Applicable Not Applicable Proposed Long Term Bank Facility Not Applicable Not Applicable Not Applicable 5.50 ACUITE B+ | Downgraded | Issuer not co-operating* ( from ACUITE BB- ) State Bank of India Not Applicable Term Loan Not available Not available Not available 10.00 ACUITE B+ | Downgraded | Issuer not co-operating* ( from ACUITE BB- )

Contacts

Analytical	Rating Desk
Aditya Gupta Vice President-Rating Operations 022-49294041 aditya.gupta@acuite.in Radhika Kolwankar Analyst-Rating Operations 022-49294065 radhika.kolwankar@acuite.in	Varsha Bist Senior Manager-Rating Operations Tel: 022-49294011 rating.desk@acuite.in

About Acuité Ratings & Research

Acuité is a full-service Credit Rating Agency registered with the Securities & Exchange Board of India (SEBI). The company received RBI Accreditation as an External Credit Assessment Institution (ECAI) for Bank Loan Ratings under BASEL-II norms in the year 2012. Acuité has assigned ratings to various securities, debt instruments and bank facilities of entities spread across the country and across a wide cross section of industries. It has its Registered and Head Office in Kanjurmarg, Mumbai. Disclaimer: An Acuité rating does not constitute an audit of the rated entity and should not be treated as a recommendation or opinion that is intended to substitute for a financial adviser's or investor's independent assessment of whether to buy, sell or hold any security. Ratings assigned by Acuité are based on the data and information provided by the issuer and obtained from other reliable sources. Although reasonable care has been taken to ensure that the data and information is true, Acuité, in particular, makes no representation or warranty, expressed or implied with respect to the adequacy, accuracy or completeness of the information relied upon. Acuité is not responsible for any errors or omissions and especially states that it has no financial liability whatsoever for any direct, indirect or consequential loss of any kind, arising from the use of its ratings. Ratings assigned by Acuité are subject to a process of surveillance which may lead to a revision in ratings as and when the circumstances so warrant. Please visit our website (www.acuite.in) for the latest information on any instrument rated by Acuité.