BAEP has also formed a company -- Global Technology Ventures -- in association with Sivan Securities Ltd, which would focus on funding and incubating start-ups (see related story). However the bank's equity arm will continue making other direct investments.

The company's managing director David P Loseff told eFE that funding activities would be focussed on the IT and telecom sector while other emerging segments like pharma and biotechnology would be opportunity-based operations.

``With the opening up of the New Economy sectors in India, the share of intellectual capital is now properly being tapped. We would like to leverage on the pool of Indian talent and make strategic investments in this direction,'' Loseff said.

Speaking on the past investments, Loseff said that BAEP-Asia over the past eight months had made 10 investments worth $100 million in IT and pharma companies including some well know ones like DSQ Software, Global eCommerce, Zydus Cadila, etc. With the new funding strategy, investment activities would be beefed up, he added.

As for the general investment pattern, Loseff said that each investment was usually between $5 million to $25 million, the equity being anywhere between 5-100 per cent.

``Though this is the general investment trend, we have in the past made investments of less than $5 million and over $40 million. However this would be on a case-to-case basis, with emphasis on the technology and business model of the company,'' he added.

As for the global investments, Loseff said that BAEP was likely to make investments worth $1 billion on a worldwide basis over the next two years.