Sebi Allows Govt Stake In IDBI Bank To Be Reclassified As Public After Sale

Last Updated: January 05, 2023, 18:27 IST

The government would also not have any representation on IDBI Bank’s board.

The government, with a more than 45% stake in IDBI Bank, is currently classified as a co-promoter of the lender

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has allowed the government’s shareholding in IDBI Bank to be reclassified as “public” after its stake sale on condition that its voting rights do not exceed 15 per cent, the lender said on Thursday.

The government, with a more than 45 per cent stake in IDBI Bank, is currently classified as a co-promoter of the lender. The government is looking to sell its 30.48 per cent stake in IDBI Bank, while state-backed LIC will offload its 30.24 per cent share in the lender.

The government’s intent to reclassify its shareholding as “public” must be specified in the offer document at the time an open offer is made by the new acquirer of the lender, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) said.

The government had requested Sebi to treat its residual stake in IDBI Bank as a financial investment since it would not exercise any control over the bank or have any special rights.

The government would also not have any representation on the bank’s board.

Sebi also directed the new acquirer to comply with minimum public shareholding norms within one year of the sale, IDBI said in a regulatory filing.

Reclassification of the government’s remaining 15 per cent shareholding in IDBI as “public” will make the task of meeting the mandated 25 per cent minimum public shareholding norm simpler for the new buyer.

The move will take public shareholding in IDBI Bank to 20.29 per cent with a 5.29 per cent stake currently held by retail investors and banks, among others.

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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)