The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and the Bharat InvIT Association (BIA) are working on setting up dedicated data benchmarking institutes (DBIs) for infrastructure investment trusts (InvITs)—similar to those for Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs).

Financial services firms such as CAMS, CareEdge, and KFintech, along with the InvIT association, are expected to roll out three platforms by the end of the month, sources aware of developments said.

These platforms will house all key information and analysis regarding listed InvITs to boost transparency, improve data accessibility, and support better-informed investment decisions in the space.

“The DBIs are in the final stages, undergoing some minor tweaks and improvements. The products will be sent to the market regulator for final approvals soon, and the launch date will likely be finalised by the end of this week,” one of the sources said.

An email sent to SEBI seeking comments did not elicit a response.

The rollout will happen in phases. In the first phase, the platforms will feature data for the five publicly listed InvITs. Information on the remaining 16 privately listed trusts will be integrated a few months after launch as part of the subsequent phase.

The five publicly listed InvITs include India Grid Infrastructure Trust, Indus Infra Trust, IRB InvIT Fund, Capital Infra Trust, and PowerGrid Infrastructure Investment Trust— commanding a combined market capitalisation of approximately ₹30,000 crore.

The DBIs will serve as a centralised repository, offering investors access to detailed information on InvITs’ performance, operational metrics, valuation standards, and disclosures. “The objective is to spread awareness among investors about InvITs as a product and equip them with reliable, comprehensive data to make better-informed decisions,” another source explained.

This move follows the launch of similar platforms for REITs in September. “Eventually, there might be a common link between the REIT and InvIT platforms or reciprocal links on each other’s websites,” the source added.

The Indian Real Estate Investment Trusts Association (IRA) introduced three DBIs—compareitnow.in (CAMS), ReitsInfraEdge (CareEdge), and KFinsights (KFintech)—to track performance and disclosures for the four listed REITs.

Published on February 16, 2025