

MakeMyTrip weighs India listing via depository receipts
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Nasdaq-listed travel company MakeMyTrip is weighing the benefits of listing its Indian arm via Indian Depository Receipts (IDRs) rather than a traditional initial public offering (IPO), according to two people familiar with the matter.“An IDR structure is on the table, being viewed as a method to manage tax obligations that would be triggered by the Mauritius-based parent entity—MakeMyTrip Ltd—during a secondary sale of shares in a domestic IPO,” said one of the two persons on the condition of anonymity.The development follows the company's reaffirmation of its strategic priorities on 16 March, including plans for a potential listing of its India business after the consolidation of its brands, such as RedBus India, under MakeMyTrip (India) Pvt. Ltd.The company provides flight, hotel, and bus bookings through its platforms, including Goibibo and RedBus.Experts say the move may have been driven by the 15 January Supreme Court of India ruling in the Tiger Global-Flipkart tax case, which held that a Mauritius-based holding company participating in an offer for sale (OFS) in an Indian IPO would be liable to pay capital gains tax in the country on such transactions."In practical terms, this means that reliance on Mauritius purely as a tax-efficient holding jurisdiction is significantly weakened in the context of IPO exits," said Sonam Chandwani, managing partner, Mumbai-based law firm KS Legal & Associates.The IDR route allows a foreign-listed company to remain domiciled abroad while accessing local liquidity by issuing receipts to Indian investors that are backed by shares held by a custodian, avoiding tax liabilities.“There is renewed interest in the IDR route.