Chinese electronics brands in India hit by funding roadblocks
Big names like OPPO, Vivo, and Haier are running into serious funding issues in India.
Since 2020, new rules (called Press Note 3) have blocked automatic investments from neighboring countries—so these brands can't just get money from home anymore.
With equity funding off the table and local financing tough due to regulatory probes, they're scrambling for alternatives and mostly relying on loans from their own overseas branches.
How they're coping—and what's next
To keep things going, companies are lending money within their own groups: Lenovo India gave ₹300 crore to Motorola Mobility India, while Haier got ₹214 crore from its Singapore parent.
OPPO is leaning on loans from Hong Kong subsidiaries. Xiaomi has a whopping ₹4,820 crore stuck after Indian authorities froze assets.
Meanwhile, Haier's request for a fresh ₹1,000 crore is still pending under the new rules—pushing them to consider selling a stake to Bharti Group.
These regulatory challenges have affected the operations of these Chinese brands in India.