NAIF is a Commonwealth Government entity established to facilitate economic and population growth in northern Australia through financing infrastructure projects and businesses and helping to catalyse private sector investment.

NAIF’s record to date includes partnering with projects in a broad range of industry sectors in the northern Australia economy, including (however not necessarily limited to) resources, energy, transport, agriculture and aquaculture, education, healthcare, tourism and social infrastructure.

At our core, NAIF’s role is to be an impact investor in northern Australia. We do this by:

• Facilitating the growth of northern Australia;
• Accelerating projects;
• Delivering public benefit;
• Catalysing and crowding in private sector investment;
• Ensuring strong indigenous opportunities and outcomes.

You can find out more here.

We can finance projects and businesses – large, medium and small – across a range of sectors including mining and resources, agriculture and aquaculture, transport (including airports, ports, rail and logistics), energy, water, education, tourism, social infrastructure, healthcare, telecommunications and manufacturing.

Our investment team is structured to reflect the key sectors across northern Australia, ranging from resources, energy, agriculture and water, transport and social infrastructure.

You can read more about our projects here

NAIF was provided with an initial $5 billion of capital by the Commonwealth Government.  This was increased to $7 billion in January 2022. Across northern Australia as a whole, NAIF has at March 2022 made financing commitments of $3.3 billion to projects in northern Australia. These projects are forecast to generate $25 billion in economic impact and support more than 12,500 jobs (during construction and operations).

We work with project proponents to offer a range of flexible financing products on commercial terms.

To help NAIF do more to grow the north and support the COVID 19 recovery, a package of reforms is being implemented to increase flexibility and access to NAIF finance.

Depending on your project and individual circumstances, and providing you meet NAIF’s mandatory criteria, NAIF can provide:

• Bespoke and flexible loan facilities.
• Letters of credit, guarantees and lending in foreign currency.
• Loans for smaller-scale projects including through financing partnerships.
• Equity finance, subject to a cap of $50m per investment and a minimum investment size of $5m NAIF can invest in non-controlling equity stakes.
• Financing directly to proponents rather than via the States or Territory under certain circumstances.

Operating in northern Australia, we take into account the unique circumstances of the region. Our commercially focused investment teams work closely with proponents to structure loan deals in the most appropriate way.

Being a Government agency, we also ensure careful stewardship of public funds. Central to this is ensuring that proponents demonstrate an ability to repay loans or provide a return on equity investments.

Please note that NAIF cannot provide grants or funding for feasibility studies.

NAIF does not provide grants or fund business cases. NAIF’s financing is in the form of commercial loans or equity.

Under the 2021 reforms to NAIF, we are now able to contribute equity finance to projects. This is subject to a cap of $50m per investment and being non-controlling stakes. NAIF’s total equity commitments are capped at $500m.

NAIF will primarily focus on the provision of gap equity to assist projects with fundraising in progression. NAIF will not provide development or early-stage equity.

Some of the key reforms to NAIF include:

•  An expanded definition of infrastructure and focus on financing development rather than just construction.
• Expanded geography to include the Shire of Ngaanyatjarraku in Western Australia
• Broader definition of public benefit.
• NAIF provided with expanded debt tools, including the ability to provide letters of credit, guarantees and lend in foreign currency.
• NAIF can provide finance for smaller loans, through working with financing partnerships.
• NAIF can provide equity finance, subject to a cap of $50m per investment and being on controlling stakes, with NAIF’s total equity commitments to be capped at $500m.
• NAIF can provide financing directly to proponents rather than via the States or the Northern Territory under certain circumstances.

More details can be found on the Reforms page which will be updated as the reforms are progressed.