Japanese banking giant Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp (SMBC) is rumored to be back on the table for acquiring a significant stake in Yes bank (YB).
(Deal talks with Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG), another Japanese player, and SMBC did not fructify last year, as both financial majors were seeking dispensation on the voting right limits)
- SBI holding 24% stake in YB is coordinating the deal.
- SMBC is expected to acquire a significant stake in the bank
- upto 51% through acquiring stake from existing shareholders including SBI and other institutions that had helped in YB’s revival in 2020
- Institutions currently own 66.4% stake in the bank
- upto 26% through the mandatory open offer
- upto 51% through acquiring stake from existing shareholders including SBI and other institutions that had helped in YB’s revival in 2020
- RBI as per sources has given a prima facie OK and is open for regulatory exceptions to facilitate the deal
- RBI is said to have “verbally assured” SMBC that it would be allowed to retain a majority stake in YB
- Voting rights, however, will remain capped at 26% under the RBI’s existing regulations
- Currently, as per the news reports, SMBC has no pending application with the RBI to acquire a stake in YB
SMBC has entered into an agreement to acquire 20% stake in YES Bank through a secondary stake purchase valued at around Rs 13,483 cr
It’s acquiring 13.19% from SBI and 6.81% from other bank shareholders including Axis Bank, Bandhan Bank, Federal Bank, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, IDFC First Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank.
https://www.bseindia.com/xml-data/corpfiling/AttachHis/5c19e3d6-cd87-44e1-8f22-446369ca324f.pdf
SMBC is acquiring additional 4.2% on the top of earlier announced deal for 20%.
With this acquisition, SMBC is very close to the 24.99% maximum that RBI has allowed it to buy in the Yes Bank.