Dev Chatterjee And Abhijit Lele

Stories by Dev Chatterjee And Abhijit Lele

Hindujas tap private credit, foreign banks for RCap buy

Hindujas tap private credit, foreign banks for RCap buy

Rediff.com   20 Oct 2023

The Hinduja group is learnt to be looking at alternative means of financing, including private credit, to fund its Rs 9,661 crore all-cash offer to acquire Reliance Capital. The regulator, Insurance Regulatory & Development Authority of India (Irdai), had earlier rejected the collateral offered by the group to raise funds. The Hinduja group was in talks with Barclays, JPMorgan, Cerberus Capital Management and Apollo Global Management to raise up to $850 million.

India Inc rides merger-demerger wave

India Inc rides merger-demerger wave

Rediff.com   19 Oct 2023

Corporate India is busy restructuring - through mergers, demergers and splits. That seems to be the new normal as CXOs and boards brainstorm on how to create assets and value. The pitch rose significantly during the third quarter of this financial year (FY24), translating into $32.9-billion worth of such deals - the highest quarterly total since the HDFC Bank-HDFC merger announced in FY22 Q2.

Lenders unlikely to clear Anil Agarwal's Vedanta spinoff in hurry

Lenders unlikely to clear Anil Agarwal's Vedanta spinoff in hurry

Rediff.com   11 Oct 2023

Indian lenders are unlikely to clear the vertical split of BSE-listed Vedanta Ltd in a hurry, considering that the demerger would reduce the fungibility of cash flows across businesses and increase their volatility, according to analysts. The demerger plan, which would result in six separate listed entities, would require approval from shareholders, lenders and other statutory bodies. "We believe that a separate listing of different businesses would reduce the fungibility of cash flows across businesses and increase the volatility of cash flows.

Asset divestment needed to resolve Vedanta's debt crisis: Analysts

Asset divestment needed to resolve Vedanta's debt crisis: Analysts

Rediff.com   10 Oct 2023

Analysts assert that Vedanta Group's plan to demerge India-listed Vedanta Limited into six listed entities will not resolve the debt problem of its promoter entity, Vedanta Resources (VRL). They suggest that additional asset sales or stake sales by promoters will be necessary to repay the debt. Vedanta is already considering the divestment of its iron-steel division and its copper plant.

Reliance General Insurance gets Rs 922 crore GST notices from DGGI

Reliance General Insurance gets Rs 922 crore GST notices from DGGI

Rediff.com   9 Oct 2023

Reliance General Insurance Company (RGIC), a subsidiary of Reliance Capital, finds itself in a bind as the Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI) has issued multiple Show Cause Notices (SCNs) amounting to Rs 922.6 crore. This development comes at a time when Reliance Capital is currently undergoing a debt resolution under the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) process in which the Hinduja group has emerged the winner. The Hinduja acquisition is currently awaiting the Supreme Court's approval after the Torrent group, the winner of the first round, challenged the second auction conducted by the lenders of Reliance Capital.

Nirma to tap into own funds, debt to buy Glenmark Life Sciences

Nirma to tap into own funds, debt to buy Glenmark Life Sciences

Rediff.com   25 Sep 2023

Nirma has roped in BCG and KPMG to advise it on the fundraising options for the acquisition. The company had earlier informed banks that it would raise Rs 5,000 crore to Rs 7,000 crore in the current financial year for the acquisition. Bankers said the company will rely on its funds and future GLS dividend to repay its debt for acquisition.

Savings declined but resulted in rise in assets: SBI chief economist

Savings declined but resulted in rise in assets: SBI chief economist

Rediff.com   22 Sep 2023

The net financial savings of the household sector has moderated to 5.1% of GDP in FY23 from 7.6 per cent in FY20, as households shifted their savings to physical assets amid low interest rates during the pandemic, according to State Bank of India's (SBI) Research report.

Equity FDI inflows nearly halve on global overhang

Equity FDI inflows nearly halve on global overhang

Rediff.com   20 Sep 2023

Showing the effect of the slowdown in global economic activity, the equity foreign direct investment (FDI) into India declined sharply to $13.9 billion in April-July 2023 from $22.04 billion a year ago. The net FDI, inflows minus outflows, declined from $17.28 billion in April-July 2022 to $5.70 billion in April-July 2023 on account of moderating gross FDI and a rise in repatriation. Gross FDI into India moderated to $22.0 billion during April-July 2023 from $29.6 billion a year ago, according to Reserve Bank of India data.

25-bp deposit rate hike likely this festival season

25-bp deposit rate hike likely this festival season

Rediff.com   20 Sep 2023

The Reserve Bank of India's (RBI's) decision to withdraw the incremental cash reserve ratio (I-CRR) is expected to benefit banks during the festival season. They are likely to increase deposit rates by up to 25 basis points (bps) in select maturity buckets. The rise in demand for funds to cover tax payments and meet quarter-end business targets could influence rate decisions by banks, according to bankers and money market executives.

India's outward FDI down 33.3% in August on grim global prospects

India's outward FDI down 33.3% in August on grim global prospects

Rediff.com   15 Sep 2023

Reflecting subdued global economic growth, India's outward foreign direct investment (FDI) fell by 33.3 per cent sequentially to $1.21 billion in August, compared to over $1.82 billion in July.

Bajaj Finance's B2B segment to add 1,000 cities in the next three years

Bajaj Finance's B2B segment to add 1,000 cities in the next three years

Rediff.com   11 Sep 2023

As a step to entrench its consumer finance business, Bajaj Finance (BFL) plans to scale up its business-to-business (B2B) activity, both in terms of volume as well as value. It plans to add up to 1,000 cities in the next three years and this will mark its presence in around 5,000 cities. The expansion activity will be more in Northern and Eastern India.

JSW group keen to launch car in EV segment at Rs 15-20 lakh price tag

JSW group keen to launch car in EV segment at Rs 15-20 lakh price tag

Rediff.com   7 Sep 2023

The promoter entities of JSW Group are in talks with several electric-car manufacturers in China to launch an electric car for the Indian market at Rs 15-20 lakh, a source close to the development said.

M&As likely to witness a strong comeback as PEs bet more cash in India

M&As likely to witness a strong comeback as PEs bet more cash in India

Rediff.com   5 Sep 2023

Mergers and acquisitions (M&As) in India are expected to stay buoyant, seen over the last three-four years, despite a slowdown in the first seven months of the calendar year. "M&A is a lumpy business activity, and we may suddenly see large deals taking place during the next two quarters of the calendar year. "This would help maintain the streak of strong M&A activity.

The take-off and crash-landing of Jet's Naresh Goyal

The take-off and crash-landing of Jet's Naresh Goyal

Rediff.com   4 Sep 2023

In a dramatic turn of events in May 2019, an Emirates aircraft en-route to Dubai was asked to stop while it was taxiing for a take off in Mumbai. The pilot was given no reason and ordered to immediately return to the parking bay. As the aircraft returned to the terminal, two passengers from the first class - Naresh Goyal and his wife Anita - were offloaded by the immigration authorities, who said the duo cannot leave the country. Goyal, founder of Jet Airways, was stunned. The man, who ruled the aviation sector for two and a half decades with an iron hand, did not expect to be offloaded in this fashion.

Lenders expect robust retail credit in festive season

Lenders expect robust retail credit in festive season

Rediff.com   2 Sep 2023

Lenders in India, comprising banks and finance companies, anticipate robust growth in retail credit during the upcoming festival season, stretching from September to December 2023. This expectation is based on resilient demand, government initiatives, and elections in key states.

India's outward FDI rises to $1.85 bn in July 2023

India's outward FDI rises to $1.85 bn in July 2023

Rediff.com   30 Aug 2023

Interrupting a two-month streak of decline, outward foreign direct investment (FDI) rose sequentially to $1.85 billion in July over $1.07 billion in June, an increase of 73 per cent. However, it was lower than the $2.18 billion in July last year, according to the Reserve Bank of India data. Outbound FDI, expressed as financial commitment, has three components - equity, loans, and guarantees.

The Unholy Rift Between Companies And Auditors

The Unholy Rift Between Companies And Auditors

Rediff.com   25 Aug 2023

38 auditors resigned in 2022-23, compared with 46 the previous year.

Adani shares lose Rs 55K cr in market cap even after record quarterly profit

Adani shares lose Rs 55K cr in market cap even after record quarterly profit

Rediff.com   24 Aug 2023

The combined market capitalisation of Adani Group companies fell by Rs 54,876 crore, to Rs 10.92 trillion, as investor sentiment turned bearish on Wednesday. Shares of Adani Transmission fell by 7.7 per cent to close at Rs 886 while those of Adani Power lost 7.1 per cent to end the day at Rs 323. The stock of Adani Enterprises, the flagship company of the group, lost 6.2 per cent to finish at Rs 2,530.

Net FDI into India declines sharply to $5 billion in Q1

Net FDI into India declines sharply to $5 billion in Q1

Rediff.com   19 Aug 2023

The sectors that received most of the investment during this period included manufacturing, financial services, business services, computer services, electricity, and other energy sectors.

Flows into NRI deposits grow multi-fold to $2.14 billion in first quarter

Flows into NRI deposits grow multi-fold to $2.14 billion in first quarter

Rediff.com   18 Aug 2023

The flow of money into Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) deposits witnessed a substantial increase, touching $2.14 billion in the first quarter of this financial year (Q1FY24), compared with $349 million in the same period in FY23. The outstanding NRI deposits rose by $2.5 billion, standing at $141.28 billion at the end of June 2023, up from $138.77 billion in May 2023, according to Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data. RBI released the updated data in the bulletin after almost three months.