CAPITAL COMMITMENT

Future capital expenditures that a company has committed to spend on long-term assets over a period of time. Capital commitment also refers to securities inventory carried by a market maker. The term may also refer to investments in blind pool funds by venture capital investors, which they contribute over time when requested to do so by the fund manager.

A company has to exercise the utmost care in structuring its capital commitments, since an inordinately high amount will put undue strain on its finances. It would need to ensure that operating cash flow is sufficient to meet capital expenditures, and if it is not, make arrangements to ensure that it can raise the additional funds on the capital markets. Capital commitments are generally the highest for companies in capital-intensive industries such as power generation.