
SBI mulls raising stake in investment banking JV to 51% amid capital market boom
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Mumbai: The State Bank of India is weighing a plan to take control of its investment-banking joint venture (JV) with Investec India, according to two people familiar with the matter. The move comes as India’s largest lender seeks to strengthen its deal-making and distribution capabilities in the midst of a multi-year boom in the country’s equity capital markets.
SBI is considering raising its stake to 51% from about 20% after an earlier attempt to raise the stake to 40% was rebuffed by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) a couple of years ago, the first person cited above said on condition of anonymity. “The regulator usually wants bank stakes in other businesses to be at 20% or below, or at 51%," this person said. “This is to ensure that once the bank has a majority stake, it can exercise greater control and the entity can come under the consolidated supervision of RBI." SBI’s 20% stake in Investec Capital Services (India) Pvt Ltd is held through its subsidiary SBI Capital Markets (SBI Caps), and dates back to 2020.
The remaining 80% stake is held by Investec India Holdco Ltd (IIHL). The holding company is a subsidiary of Investec Investments (UK) Ltd, which, in turn, is a subsidiary of Investec Bank Plc. Investec Capital Services (India) provides services across private credit, mergers and acquisitions, and equity and debt capital markets.
It also has an institutional equities business and said in its annual report for FY25 that it was able to on-board new clients—domestic and overseas—which has helped it grow the business. “While SBI Caps has been originating a lot of deals, this partnership has helped distribute it and get more investors on board," said the person cited above. The
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