Abans Finance Private Limited
ABans Finance Pvt. Ltd. (AFPL) formerly known as Sofed Comtrade Private Ltd. started its journey in the year 1995 in Calcutta (present Kolkata) and is continuing now, with the registered office in Mumbai.
AFPL, an NBFC is registered with the RBI, in the category of non-acceptance of public deposits and is engaged in advisory services like Investment Banking, Corporate Finance, Project Finance, Trade Finance and providing Business & Retail Loans. Our NBFC business is primarily focused on providing Indian Rupee denominated secured and unsecured structured term financing solutions to individuals and corporates primarily in the category of small and medium enterprise (“SME”) borrowers in India by way of structured financing and trade financing. We provide lending solutions against tangible collateral as well as security in other forms, such as charge on operating cash flows. However, based on the client, requirement and our internal risk-assessment, we also provide unsecured loans. Our current portfolio of borrowers include corporate, individuals and SMEs engaged in various business like commodities trading, technology solution and agriculture & agri-product trading.
We provide our clients with trading finance solutions which help them expand and diversify their financial portfolio. We also advance loans to our other associate companies within the ABans Group
Our team of management professionals makes sure that your experience is seamless and transparent.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Abhishek Pradeepkumar BansalNon Executive Director
Abhishek Bansal founded the company single-handedly at the age of 18. Having started out as a Gold Arbitrageur, Mr. Abhishek Bansal has leveraged his business acumen to position the Group as one of the fastest growing financial conglomerates in Asia
With businesses ranging from agricultural commodities trading, gold refining, financial broking, wealth management, software development, and non-banking financial services, the Abans Group has cemented its presence in over 10 countries spanning the globe.
A self-made entrepreneur, Mr. Bansal lays particular emphasis on nurturing the leaders of tomorrow and has been incubating entrepreneurial ventures for well over a decade.
Shivshankar SinghNon Executive Director
Mr. Shivshankar Singh, has been associated with our group since 2016. He brings with him nearly three decades of extensive experience in information technology, infrastructure management, and enterprise security. His expertise spans project management, implementation of cutting-edge technologies, infrastructure modernization, Information Security Management Systems (ISMS) development and implementation, facilities management, and techno-commercial evaluations.
Mr. Singh has played a key role in leading and delivering complex IT transformation projects, including disaster recovery (DR) and business continuity planning (BCP), service level agreement (SLA) governance, server and storage consolidation and enterprise risk management relating to IT systems. He has actively participated in the implementation of Trading Systems for Stock Exchanges and served as Project Manager for the successful implementation and certification of BS7799 and ISO 27001 Information Security Standards.
Prior to joining our group, Mr. Singh was associated with reputed organizations such as Power Exchange India Ltd, Capstrat Consultancy Services, ICEX Ltd., BSE Ltd., and ONGC, where he made significant contributions to the strengthening of IT infrastructure, operational resilience, and the advancement of strategic technology initiatives.
Mahesh Kumar Cheruveedu Whole Time Director & CEO
Mahesh Kumar is the Chief Executive Officer (KMP) of the Company, appointed pursuant to Section 203 of the Companies Act, 2013 and thereafter, he has been appointed as the Director of the Company.
Mahesh Kumar is B.Com, MBA, MFM, PGDFA having 26 years of experience in Banking & Finance with special emphasis on Capital & Commodity Markets. He also has a Certificate in General Management from IIM (K).
Kumud Chandra Paricha Patnaik Independent Director
Kumud Patnaik is a senior Indian Revenue Service Officer practicing as an Advocate and Corporate Advisor after superannuation. His domain expertise comprises of dispute resolution relating to domestic and international Direct Tax Litigation, Company law, PMLA, IB and allied laws.
Ashima Chhatwal Independent Director
Ashima is a B.Com Graduate and Qualified Company Secretary having 5+ years of work experience. She is expertise in areas like Corporate Law Advisory.
Leadership Team
Bhavik Thakkar Head - Wealth Management
Bhavik carries about 16 years of experience in Financial Services.
He has worked across Retail Banking and Wealth Management. This experience includes Client Relations, Investment Advisory and Product Management.
Bhavik has worked across organizations like Kotak Mahindra Bank, Aditya Birla Wealth and Standard Chartered Bank before joining Abans Group.
He is a Gold Medalist MBA from North Gujarat University.
Bhavik has been instrumental in setting up of our Investment Management vertical and is responsible for heading the business activities at Abans Investment Managers.
Mr. Raghunathan MudaliarChief Financial Officer
Mr. Raghunathan Mudaliar is a Chartered Accountant Professional certified by The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) and holds a Master of Commerce degree and a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Mumbai.
He has over seven years of professional experience in Non-Banking Financial Companies, capital markets, Real Estate Industry and Education Industry with core expertise in BFSI space, along with strong knowledge of financial reporting and regulatory compliances including SEBI and RBI compliances.
Mr. Raghunathan Mudaliar is presently associated with the Abans Group, where he leads the NBFC company, namely Abans Finance Private Limited, and is responsible for strategic financial planning, regulatory strategies, financial reporting, budgeting and ensuring compliance with IND AS/IFRS and other regulatory requirements. He also contributes towards strengthening internal controls and improving operational efficiencies.
Prior to this, he was associated with GeeCee Ventures Limited, a BSE and NSE listed entity, as Manager, where he was involved in financial planning and reporting for NBFC companies catering to the lending and investment segment along with the real estate business of GeeCee Group. He had also worked with BSE Institute Limited as Deputy Manager in the Accounts Department.
Ms. Bhargavi HalapetiCompany Secretary
Ms. Bhargavi Halapeti is an Associate Member of the Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI) with over 17 years of experience in governance, compliance, and corporate laws. She also holds a Master’s in Business Law from National Law School, Bangalore and a Post Graduate Diploma in Securities Law, and is currently pursuing her LL.B.
She has worked with reputed financial institutions including Jio BlackRock Wealth Management, Edelweiss Group, DHFL, and IL&FS Financial Services, where she managed a wide range of responsibilities covering SEBI and RBI compliances, issuance of securities, FEMA matters, secretarial audits, and Board/Committee governance.