India's mini-Lehman moment: Bankruptcies double at real estate developers

The growing number of insolvencies highlight Indian property developers' inability to complete apartments and meet their debt obligations amid the funding crisis

The number of Indian real estate companies tipped into insolvency has doubled in less than a year since the collapse of a key shadow bank, an event often compared to the Lehman crisis that squeezed American funding markets a decade ago.

As many as 421 developers entered bankruptcy court by the end of June, up from 209 in September 2018, around the time when the government seized control of Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services Ltd. The move triggered a credit crunch for smaller financiers and property firms, which depend on funds from shadow lenders.

The numbers will probably increase, according to Vivek