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☆ India set to miss divestment targets by more than half this year - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Nikunj Ohri | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The government may fall short of its divestment goal by 300 billion rupees ($3.60 billion) in 2023/24, two government sources told Reuters. New Delhi had targeted 510 billion rupees from divestment proceeds for the current fiscal year that ends March, 2024. So far this year, the government has received 80 billion rupees through stake sales, according to government data. The government expects to surpass its 430 billion rupees dividend target and has so far received 203 billion rupees from state-run firms. "As long as the government is meeting its fiscal targets and there isn't a shortfall, missing divestment targets is fine," said Rahul Bajoria, an economist at Barclays Investment Bank.

Persons: Niharika Kulkarni, Narendra Modi's, Subhash Chandra Garg, Rahul Bajoria, Nikunj Ohri, Sam Holmes Organizations: IDBI, REUTERS, Reuters, IDBI Bank, NMDC Steel, Reserve Bank of India, NMDC, Barclays Investment Bank, Thomson Locations: Mumbai, India, DELHI, New Delhi, Chhattisgarh

☆ India cancels bid process to hire valuer for IDBI Bank sale
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The logo of IDBI Bank is seen on the facade of its headquarters in Mumbai, India, April 18, 2023. REUTERS/Niharika Kulkarni/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 21 (Reuters) - The Indian government has cancelled the bidding process to hire an asset valuer for its planned IDBI Bank (IDBI.NS) share sale, according to a statement. The government will invite fresh bids to select a valuer for its stake in the lender, said a statement from the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management on Tuesday. India is looking to offload its 30.48% stake in IDBI Bank, while Life Insurance Corp (LIC) (LIFI.NS) of India will sell a 30.24% shareholding. Presently, the Indian government and LIC collectively own about 95% of IDBI Bank.

Persons: Niharika Kulkarni, LIC, Tuhin Kanta Pandey, Nikunj Ohri, Matthew Lewis Organizations: IDBI, REUTERS, Bank, Department of Investment, Public Asset Management, Life Insurance, IDBI Bank, Thomson Locations: Mumbai, India, IDBI Bank, New Delhi, Bengaluru

The deadline to submit takeover bids ends on Tuesday, and the sources told Reuters Jindal had decided against bidding after evaluating the airline's financial statements. "The EoI was largely to check the valuation of the airline and get access to the company's data," said one of the sources. Jindal Power and Go First's resolution professional did not reply to emails seeking comment. The Central Bank of India (CBI.NS), Bank of Baroda (BOB.NS), IDBI Bank (IDBI.NS) and Deutsche Bank (DBKGn.DE) are among the top creditors to the airline. Both bankers said the liquidation of the airline was now the most likely option as there were no serious bidders.

Persons: Francis Mascarenhas, India's, Reuters Jindal, Jindal, Banks, Siddhi Nayak, Sarita Chaganti Singh, Miral Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, India's Jindal Power Ltd, Reuters, Jindal Power, Bankers, Central Bank of India, Bank of Baroda, IDBI Bank, Deutsche Bank, Siddhi, Thomson Locations: Shivaji, Mumbai, India, Rights MUMBAI, Bank, BOB.NS, Delhi

☆ India's Go First airline gets expression of interest from Jindal Power - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Siddhi Nayak | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Adnan Abidi/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMUMBAI, Oct 11 (Reuters) - Grounded Indian airline Go First has received an expression of interest (EoI) from Jindal Power Ltd, two banking sources and two people aware of the development told Reuters. "Jindal Power was the sole successful applicant whose expression of interest was accepted by banks," said a banker with a state-run bank that has exposure to Go First. Go First's resolution professional, who conducts the insolvency process, and Jindal Power did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment. However, the government amended its insolvency law earlier this month to exclude leased aircraft from assets that can be frozen, to bring India's bankruptcy laws into line with a treaty protecting the rights of foreign lessors. It is unclear whether the amended law would apply to Go First since its insolvency proceedings are still underway.

Persons: Adnan Abidi, Jindal, EoIs, Siddhi Nayak, Sarita Chaganti Singh, Devika Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Jindal Power Ltd, Reuters, Jindal Power, Go, Central Bank of India, Bank of Baroda, IDBI Bank, Deutsche Bank, Aircraft, Siddhi, Thomson Locations: New Delhi, India, Rights MUMBAI, Bank, BOB.NS, Mumbai

☆ India invites bids for asset valuer for IDBI Bank
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

The logo of IDBI Bank is seen on the facade of its headquarters in Mumbai, India, April 18, 2023. REUTERS/Niharika Kulkarni/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsNEW DELHI, Sept 1 (Reuters) - The Indian government has invited bids to appoint an asset valuer for IDBI Bank (IDBI.NS) as it seeks to sell a majority stake of the lender. The asset valuer will have to conduct a valuation of the lender’s assets, and provide assistance in the sale process of IDBI Bank, according to a government document. India is looking to offload its 30.48% stake in IDBI Bank, while Life Insurance Corp (LIC) (LIFI.NS) of India will sell a 30.24% shareholding. Presently, the Indian government and LIC collectively own about 95% in IDBI Bank.

Persons: Niharika Kulkarni, LIC, Nikunj Ohri, Louise Heavens Organizations: IDBI, REUTERS, IDBI Bank, Life Insurance, Thomson Locations: Mumbai, India, DELHI, IDBI Bank

☆ High food prices put populism on India’s table
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Shritama Bose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Prices of tomatoes, onions, potatoes, pulses and spices – all the basic ingredients - are soaring as the world’s most populous country heads towards key state polls later this year and national ones soon after. It increases the temptation for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party to indulge in some fiscal populism. Reuters Graphics Reuters GraphicsA surge in food prices drove annual retail inflation to 7.44% in July, the most in 15 months. Elections will be held this year in five of India’s 28 states, including heavyweight constituencies Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. India banned the export of non-basmati rice on July 20 to clamp down on rising domestic prices of the grain.

Persons: Narendra Modi’s, Modi, Nirmala Sitharaman, Una Galani, Thomas Shum Organizations: Reuters, Bharatiya Janata Party, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Madhya, Bloomberg, India’s, IDBI, India’s Ministry of Finance, Reserve Bank, Thomson Locations: MUMBAI, Nepal, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka, New Delhi, India

☆ HDFC Bank to sell 2% stake in NSDL IPO
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

NEW DELHI, July 9 (Reuters) - HDFC Bank (HDBK.NS) will sell a 2% stake in the initial public offering (IPO) of National Securities Depository (NSDL), the lender informed exchanges on Sunday. The lender holds a 8.95% stake in NSDL, which handles most of the securities held and settled in dematerialised form in the Indian capital market. In its draft red herring prospectus (DRHP) dated July 7, the depository said the IPO will see sales of 57.3 million shares by its six shareholders. IDBI Bank (IDBI.NS) will sell up to 22.2 million shares, while National Stock Exchange will sell 18 million shares it owns in the depository. Union Bank of India (UNBK.NS) will sell 5.62 million shares, and State Bank of India(SBI.NS), and Administrator of the Specified Undertaking of the Unit Trust of India (SUUTI) will sell 4 million and 3.4 million shares, respectively.

Persons: Nikunj Ohri, Kim Coghill Organizations: HDFC Bank, National Securities Depository, IDBI Bank, National Stock Exchange, Union Bank of India, State Bank of India, Unit Trust of India, Thomson Locations: DELHI, NSDL, dematerialised

In the fiscal year 2022 through 2023, HDFC raised 784.15 billion from the debt market, higher than the 500 billion rupees a year before. It has raised 460.62 billion rupees since April this year. Mutual funds hold around 270 billion rupees of HDFC's bonds as of May 31, data from information service provider Prime Database showed. Rival LIC Housing Finance may be the biggest beneficiary of HDFC exiting the market, fund managers said. Other competitors such as ICICI Home Finance, Bajaj Housing Finance, Tata Capital Housing Finance and Shriram Housing Finance could also see an increase in demand for their debt issuances, they said.

Persons: HDFC, Raju Sharma, HFCs, Ajay Manglunia, Laukik Bagwe, Bagwe, IDBI Mutual Fund's Sharma, Dharamraj Dhutia, Dhanya Ann Thoppil Organizations: Housing Development Finance Corp, HDFC Bank, Reuters, IDBI Mutual Fund, Securities and Exchange Board of India, JM Financial, AAA, Mutual, LIC, Finance, ICICI Home Finance, Bajaj Housing Finance, Tata Capital Housing Finance, Shriram Housing Finance, Mutual Fund, IDBI Mutual, Thomson Locations: MUMBAI, India, HDFC

☆ India's note withdrawal to improve liquidity, ease short-term rates - analysts
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Siddhi Nayak | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MUMBAI, May 22(Reuters) - The Indian central bank's decision to withdraw its highest denomination currency note from circulation is likely to improve banking system liquidity, bringing down recently elevated short term rates, analysts and bankers said. Kotak Institutional Equities estimates that liquidity could improve by around 1 trillion rupees, depending on the behaviour of depositors, while QuantEco Research pegs the potential liquidity impact at 400 billion rupees to 1.1 trillion rupees. ICICI Securities Primary Dealership estimates the liquidity surplus could increase to 1.5-2 trillion rupees. India's banking system liquidity surplus has averaged above 600 billion rupees in May. About 2.5-3 trillion rupees of banking sector liquidity leaks out as currency in circulation each year, wrote Pranjul Bhandari, chief India economist at HSBC.

In granting bankruptcy protection, the National Company Law Tribunal in New Delhi ordered a moratorium on Go First's assets and leases. But bankruptcy protection supersede lessors' repossession requests. Go First's lessors also include SMBC Aviation Capital and CDB Aviation's GY Aviation Leasing. Its voluntary seeking of bankruptcy protection to renegotiate contracts and debt marks a first for an Indian airline, and Chief Executive Officer Kaushik Khona, who was present as the order was read, hailed the tribunal's decision as "historic". The Indian tribunal said the new resolution professional will take "all necessary steps including the execution of the arbitral award".

The cash-strapped airline wants the tribunal to accept its plea and is seeking an interim moratorium to save its assets, a move the lessors oppose. Go First did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the lessors' bid to deregister the planes. Engine failures have cost the airline 108 billion rupees ($1.3 billion) in lost revenue and expenses, it said. Amid the dispute between the lessors and the troubled airline, banks with exposure to it are awaiting the tribunal's decision to decide their next course of action, two people involved in the talks told Reuters. The company owes financial creditors 65.21 billion rupees ($798 million), its bankruptcy filing showed, and had not defaulted on any of those dues by the end of April.

☆ IndiGo shares surge after smaller rival Go First files for bankruptcy
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BENGALURU, May 3 (Reuters) - Shares of India's largest airline IndiGo (INGL.NS) surged over 8% on Wednesday as smaller rival Go First's bankruptcy filing raised hopes of market share gains and improved yields. Cash-strapped airline Go First filed for bankruptcy on Tuesday, blaming "faulty" Pratt & Whitney engines for the grounding of about half its fleet and taking lenders by surprise. Lenders to Go First, including Central Bank of India (CBI.NS), Bank of Baroda (BOB.NS), IDBI Bank (IDBI.NS) and Axis Bank (AXBK.NS) dropped 1.1% to 6.8% on Wednesday. Go First owes financial creditors 65.21 billion rupees ($798 million), its bankruptcy filing showed. Bombay Burmah Trading (BBRM.NS), which is also owned by Wadia and has given loans to Go First in the form of inter-corporate deposits, slid 10%.

☆ Go First bankruptcy isn’t the end of the Indian airline, says owner
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

His comments came a day after the cash-strapped Indian airline filed for bankruptcy, blaming “faulty” Pratt & Whitney (P&W) engines for the grounding of about half its fleet. The airline owed financial creditors 65.21 billion Indian rupees ($797 million), its bankruptcy filing showed. Boon for rivalsGo First’s bankruptcy may boost airfares in India and give other domestic airlines a chance to grab a larger chunk of the market share, analysts said. Share prices of India’s largest airline, IndiGo, were up 5.1% on Wednesday, after rising as much as 8.2% earlier. Lenders to Go First, including Central Bank of India, Bank of Baroda, IDBI Bank and Axis Bank, fell on Wednesday.

☆ India's Go First Airways owes financial creditors $798 million - filing
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Arpan Chaturvedi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MUMBAI, May 2 (Reuters) - Indian airline Go First, which filed for bankruptcy on Tuesday, owes financial creditors 65.21 billion Indian rupees ($798 million), its bankruptcy filing showed. "However, considering the present financial situation of the corporate applicant, defaults to financial creditors would be imminent," the filing said. The filing lists Central Bank of India (CBI.NS), Bank of Baroda (BOB.NS), IDBI Bank (IDBI.NS), Axis Bank (AXBK.NS) and Deutsche Bank among Go First's financial creditors. The airline's total liabilities to all creditors stand at 114.63 billion rupees, the filing shows. The company has defaulted on payments to operational creditors, including 12.02 billion rupees to vendors and 26.60 billion rupees to aircraft lessors.

☆ Indian government gets bids for majority stake in IDBI bank
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

NEW DELHI, Jan 7 (Reuters) - The Indian government has received multiple bids for a majority stake in IDBI Bank (IDBI.NS), an official said in a tweet on Saturday, after the deadline for expressions of interest closed earlier in the day. The government, which owns 45.48% of IDBI Bank, is looking to divest a 30.48% stake in the lender, alongside state-owned Life Insurance Corp of India (LIC) (LIFI.NS), which will sell a 30.24% stake from its holding of 49.24% in the bank. Ahead of Saturday's deadline, India's market regulator this week allowed the government to reclassify its shareholding in IDBI Bank as "public" post sale, making it simpler for the new buyer to meet the minimum public shareholding norm. India's finance ministry on Monday also extended an exemption to the new buyer of IDBI Bank that allows it to maintain a 25% minimum public shareholding in the lender. The time limit to increase the public shareholding in the lender would be specified in due course, the government said.

☆ India plans tax waivers for IDBI Bank buyer - sources
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Nikunj Rajesh Ohri | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The federal finance ministry is looking to relax a tax clause, which would require the buyer of IDBI Bank to pay additional tax if the share price rises post the final bid, one of the officials said. In case the share prices of IDBI Bank increase after financial bids are formally placed, the difference in share price may be considered as "other income" for the buyer as per tax laws, explained Om Rajpurohit, a partner at tax firm AMRG & Associates. The government and state-run Life Insurance Corp. (LIC) (LIFI.NS) together hold about 95% in IDBI Bank, and have sought initial bids from investors to buy a 60.72% in the bank. Last week, it extended the deadline for submitting initial bids until Jan. 7. Once the government receives initial bids expressing interest from buyers, the Reserve Bank of India would vet them to see if they meet the central bank's "fit and proper" criteria.

☆ India bank sale sharpens valuation rivalry
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Shritama Bose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Sumitomo Mitsui Financial (8316.T), Carlyle (CG.O) and Fairfax Financial (FFH.TO) may each be eyeing some of the 61% stake on offer in $7 billion IDBI Bank (IDBI.NS), per reports by The Economic Times and Mint. These latecomers’ share of outstanding loans fell to 55% in March 2022 from 70% in 2016, per Reserve Bank of India data. CONTEXT NEWSIndia on Dec. 14 extended the deadline to submit preliminary bids for the sale of a controlling stake in IDBI Bank to Jan. 7 from Dec. 16. New Delhi intends to sell 30.48%; Life Insurance Corporation of India, which is almost entirely government-owned, will sell a 30.24% stake. Carlyle, Fairfax Financial and DBS Bank are considering bidding for at least 10% each in IDBI Bank, Mint reported on Nov. 7, citing unnamed sources.

☆ Indian shares edge up on UltraTech Cement boost
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BENGALURU, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Indian equity benchmarks edged higher on Tuesday, after declining for three straight sessions, buoyed by gains in top cement producer UltraTech Cement (ULTC.NS). The benchmark S&P BSE Sensex (.BSESN) rose 0.11% to 61,212.36, while the NSE Nifty 50 index (.NSEI) gained 0.08% to 18,175.10. UltraTech Cement (ULTC.NS) led gains on the Nifty, rising as much a 2.4% to a near three-week high, while its parent Grasim Industries (GRAS.NS) advanced 2.1%. Indian markets are likely to be range-bound and not follow global cues ahead of state elections due in December, said AK Prabhakar, Head of Research, IDBI Capital. Foreign institutional investors sold 15.94 billion Indian rupees ($195.11 million) worth of equities on Monday, while domestic investors bought 12.63 billion rupees ($154.59 million) of shares, per provisional NSE data.

☆ INDIA STOCKS Indian shares edge down as consumer, tech stocks drag
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Praveen Paramasivam | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A broker reacts while trading at his computer terminal at a stock brokerage firm in Mumbai, India, December 11, 2018. REUTERS/Francis MascarenhasBENGALURU, Nov 15 (Reuters) - Indian shares gave up opening gains on Tuesday, dragged by consumer and IT stocks, as investors secured profits after a four-week rally, even as data showed annual retail inflation for October eased roughly in line with estimates. Slower rise in food prices helped India's annual retail inflation ease to 6.77% in October, from 7.41% in the previous month, data showed on Monday. More than 1,000 companies reported their quarterly results on Monday as the country's month-long earnings season drew to a close. Globally, investors will get another look at U.S. inflation when the producer price index data is released at 1330 GMT.

☆ India government must set moderate divestment targets -official
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Nikunj Rajesh Ohri | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW DELHI, Oct 18 (Reuters) - The Indian government should focus on privatisation of state-run companies instead of chasing high divestment targets, a top finance ministry official said on Tuesday, pointing to market volatility and investors' shaky appetite for risk. "We should actually have moderate targets and more focus should be on privatising," Tuhin Kanta Pandey, secretary in the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management, told Reuters in an interview. High targets lead to a perception that the government will sell minority stakes in state-run companies, prompting a fall in share prices of such firms, Pandey said. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman last year announced plans to privatise all state-run companies barring a few in strategic sectors such as defence and telecommunications. Earlier this month, India invited initial bids to sell a 60.72% stake in IDBI Bank.

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