AUGUST SEES HIGHEST IPO FILINGS IN 17 YRS

MUMBAI: India’s markets regulator faced one of its busiest months in August as a record 29 companies filed draft prospectuses for public listings, underscoring the ongoing frenzy in India Inc. to exploit a runaway rally in equity markets.

This was the highest tally in a single month in the past 17 years, the period for which such data is available from the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi).

While the beeline for initial public offerings (IPOs) reflects the current buoyancy, past record of such heights hold out cautionary tales.

Since June 2004, the previous record for filings of draft IPO documents by companies with Sebi in a single month was 22. This was recorded three times— in February and December 2006, and in September 2010. The monthly average of filings stands at 6.2 over the 17-year period from June 2004 to August 2021.

To be sure, the record filings in August capped a steady rise in filings over the past few months. In three of the past four months, a period during which the Sensex jumped 18%, the number of such filings has been in double-digits. A new factor seen this time is the entry of internet businesses. Given their high capital needs and money-losing nature, internet businesses have been traditionally serviced by private capital. But, of late, this trend is changing. The shift was encouraged by Sebi easing entry norms for online businesses. This saw Zomato, MobiKwik, Paytm and Policybazaar file draft IPO documents. A thumping response to Zomato’s IPO, and a profitable listing in July has emboldened other e-businesses to follow suit.