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What is an Alternative Investment Fund (IDA)?

The AIF is an investment vehicle grouped privately according to the Alternative Investment Funds Regulation that raises funds from investors, whether Indians or foreigners, to invest them according to an investment policy defined for the benefit of its investors. The AIF may take the form of a trust or a company or a limited liability company or a legal person.

Why AIF

The FIA ​​Regulations seek to extend the regulatory perimeter to unregulated funds with a view to ensuring systemic stability, increasing market efficiency, encouraging new capital formation, and consumer protection.

That are not covered

Currently, the AIF Regulation does not apply to mutual funds, collective investment plans, family trusts, ESOP and other employee welfare trusts, portfolio companies, special purpose vehicles, funds managed by securitization or reconstruction companies and any group. of funds that is directly regulated. by any other regulator in India.

FIA Categories

An FIA should search the overall record in one of 3 categories:

Category I AIF: The following are covered by Category I

1. Funds investing in startups or startups or social enterprises or SMEs or infrastructure

2. Other sectors or areas that the government or regulators consider socially or economically desirable, including Venture Capital Funds.

3. AIF with positive spillover effects on the economy, for which SEBI or the Government of India or other Indian regulators might consider certain incentives or concessions

Category II AIF: The following are covered by Category II

1. AIF for which the government or any other regulator does not grant specific incentives or concessions

2. That it will not exercise any type of lever other than to comply with the daily operating requirements as allowed in this Regulation.

3. Which will include private equity funds, debt funds, funds of funds and other funds that are not classified as category I or III.

Category III AIF: The following are covered by Category III

1. AIFs, including hedge funds that trade for short-term returns;

2. Employing diverse or complex business strategies

3. That they can use leverage, including through investment in listed or unlisted derivatives.

Applicability of the AIF regulations to real estate funds

After knowing what an AIF is and its broad categories, we analyze whether the AIF Regulations are applicable to Real Estate Funds

First, AIF has to apply for registration in accordance with AIF regulations in one of the three categories mentioned above. Therefore, if a Fund does not fall into any of the three categories mentioned above, it will not request registration with SEBI.

If you look at Category 1, funds that invest in startups or early stage or social enterprises or SMEs or infrastructure require registration.

If you look at the definition of infrastructure, the Explanation of Regulation 2 (m) states that the Infrastructure will be as defined by the Government of India from time to time.

And in normal parlance, the term generally refers to the technical structures that support a society, such as roads, water supply, sewerage, electrical networks,

telecommunications, etc., and can be defined as “the physical components of interrelated systems that provide essential products and services to enable, maintain or improve the living conditions of society.

Therefore, infrastructure does not include real estate or construction activity, since this activity consists of investing in land, urbanizing the land through the construction of houses, townships and other residential and commercial projects.

But if the real estate fund carries out certain projects with a social purpose such as the purchase of land for charity, etc. then the fund can be covered by social risk funds.

The clause also establishes that “or other sectors or areas that the government or regulators consider socially or economically desirable and other Alternative Investment Funds that are specified”;

The AIF Regulations were notified only a few days ago and to date, the Government has not specified any other AIF funds in Category 1. Furthermore, what the government or regulators consider socially and economically viable is a very broad concept. However, until the Government makes a specific statement with specific Category 1 inclusions; a Real Estate Fund will not be covered by Category 1 and therefore would not require Registration.

Furthermore, the clause also states that – Alternative Investment Funds that are generally perceived as having positive side effects on the economy and for which the Board or the Government of India or other Indian regulators might consider providing incentives will be included or concessions.

By adding these lines to Category 1, SEBI has made Category 1 very vague and open to disputes and litigation, as what SEBI intends with positive side effects on the economy is not defined or clarified. Different people or organizations may have a different opinion on this, leading to unnecessary litigation and difficulties for business owners. However, until there is clarity on this, business owners should take a cautious approach when making the decision to apply for registration in accordance with IDA regulations.

FIA category II

We now examine whether a real estate fund falls into category II AIF.

If we look at the funds covered by Category II above,

1. It will not be included in categories I and III.

2. Will not undertake leverage or indebtedness other than to comply with day-to-day operational requirements and as permitted by these regulations;

3. They will be financed as private equity funds or debt funds for which the government or any other regulator does not grant specific incentives or concessions.

For the Category I Real Estate Fund, we note that it is currently not included in Category I and also not included in Category III, as these are basically hedge funds. Furthermore, the Government does not grant specific incentives or concessions to the real estate sector. Therefore, if we look at the applicability of the Real Estate Fund in Category II, these funds can be included in the Category II AIF if they do not take leverage or indebtedness, except for short-term requirements.

Impact of IDA on Real Estate Funds

Under these Regulations, the minimum investment amount must be Rs 1 million for each investor. Therefore, attracting investor funds would be difficult for real estate funds, which used to raise amounts of up to Rs 1 million from investors. Now they would need to find high-value investors, although this is not the only challenge that awaits those who are forming national corporations. They now also have to invest 2.5% of the corpus or 5 million rupees, whichever is less, to ensure that the risk of the management company is aligned with that of the investor. Furthermore, a single investment in a company or project cannot exceed 25% of the entire corpus.

Furthermore, a Real Estate Fund registered in the form of an LLP would also be covered by the AIF Regulation. In an LLP structure, since investors are also partners, the risk of investor rights being misused is minimal. Therefore, the application of the AIF Regulations to the LLP Structure would reduce the flexibility available to that Structure.

conclusion

If we look at the IDA Regulations from a short-term perspective, in light of the current difficult fundraising environment, the larger ticket size for investors could create some challenges and somehow restrict the growth of the class. of assets, but clearly, in the long term, these regulations appear to have an element of maturity to play a critical role in developing and shaping the future of the alternative asset class in India. It is also clear that alternative investments are more sophisticated and risky compared to investments in equities and debt, and until the market matures, it is advisable that only HNIs and well-informed investors invest in this asset class and once as the market matures, it opens. to all. In the long term, we may see more investments in the alternative asset class (in terms of quantity and maturity) due to increased investor confidence in these funds.