Paytm Seeks Shareholder Approval for Rs. 12,000-Crore Sale of New Stock in What Could Be India’s Largest IPO

Indian digital payments firm Paytm is seeking shareholder approval to sell up to Rs. 12,000 crores in new stock in what could be the South Asian country's biggest-ever initial public offering at a total of $3 billion (roughly Rs. 22,170 crores).

Paytm, which counts China's Alibaba and Japan's SoftBank as backers, will sell new shares and will also have an option to retain an over-subscription of up to 1 percent, the company said in a notice for an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) of shareholders in Delhi on July 12.

The company is aiming to raise $3 billion (roughly Rs. 22,170 crores) via the public listing on Indian bourses, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters.

It has hired banks JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, ICICI Securities, and Goldman Sachs for the IPO, the source added, declining to be identified as the matter is private.

At the EGM, Paytm also plans to propose that its founder, Vijay Shekhar Sharma, be relieved from his role as the company's "promoter", the company said in the notice.

Paytm did not respond to a request for comment.

Launched a decade ago as a platform for mobile recharging, Paytm grew quickly after ride-hailing firm Uber listed it as a quick payment option. Its use swelled further in 2016 when a ban on high-value currency bank notes boosted digital payments.

Paytm has since branched out into services including insurance and gold sales, movie, and flight ticketing, and bank deposits and remittances.

© Thomson Reuters 2021

Disclosure: Paytm's parent company One97 is an investor in NDTV's Gadgets 360.