Sudarshan Venu deepens financial services push with Jana SFB stake

Chennai: Sudarshan Venu, managing director of TVS Motor Company and a key member of the Venu Srinivasan family faction within the broader TVS Group, is stepping up the group's financial services expansion. In its latest move, TVS Venu, an investment vehicle of the family, has agreed to acquire a minority stake in Jana Small Finance Bank (Jana SFB) for Rs 193 crore.The investment, through a mix of primary warrants and secondary share purchases, will give TVS Venu a stake of up to 9.9 % on a fully diluted basis, with TVS Motor directly holding 4.9%, subject to regulatory approvals.Alongside spearheading TVS Motor's expansion across segments — including efforts to revive British motorcycle marque Norton Motorcycles — Sudarshan Venu has also accelerated the group's push to build a broader financial platform focused on vehicle lending and consumer credit, among other areas. Last year, the group completed the acquisition of Home Credit India for Rs 554 crore and recently signed definitive agreements to acquire a 100% stake in PGIM India Asset Management. A significant part of the group's financial ambitions already rests on TVS Credit Services, the captive financing arm of TVS Motor. TVS Credit reported a record pre-tax profit of Rs 1,248 crore in FY26, while its loan book expanded to Rs 0,631 crore as of March 2026, up from Rs 26,647 crore a year earlier.According to ICRA, TVS Credit finances nearly one-fifth of TVS Motor's two-wheeler sales by volume and plays a key role in rural markets, where financing penetration remains critical to vehicle purchases. Following the completion of the Home Credit India deal last year, Venu had indicated that the acquisition would move the group closer to its ambition of building a Rs 50,000-crore lending book over the next three years.Jana SFB has built a sizeable presence in mass retail and MSME banking, supported by an expanding secured lending franchise and a nationwide distribution network. As of March 31, 2026, the bank served more than 12mn customers through 822 outlets across 23 states and two Union Territories, with advances and deposits each exceeding Rs 35,000 crore. Its vehicle finance portfolio, including two-wheelers and used cars introduced last year, stood at around Rs 1,799 crore.