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Newest Bank to List in India Surges as Much as 70% in IPO

Ujjivan Small Finance Bank rallied as much as 70% after the lender raised funds in the most-subscribed IPO of 2019.

Newest Bank to List in India Surges as Much as 70% in IPO
Ujjivan Small Finance Bank Entrance Bengaluru. (Source: BloombergQuint)

(Bloomberg) -- Ujjivan Small Finance Bank Ltd., backed by investors including Aberdeen Standard Investments and Monetary Authority of Singapore, rallied as much as 70% after the lender raised funds in the most-subscribed IPO of 2019.

Investor demand exceeded shares on offer by 166 times as the lender got bids for 20.53 billion shares versus an issue size of 124 million shares. The shares were sold in a price band of 36-37 rupees each.

Ujjivan Small’s stellar listing extends the streak of robust returns logged by new entrants this year. Indian Railway Catering & Tourism Corp.’s initial share sale in October attracted bids for 112 times the offer size and the stock went on list at double the sale price.

Last week, CSB Bank Ltd., backed by billionaire Prem Watsa, had the best debut for an Indian lender since 2006.

Key Insights

  • The company, an unit of microfinance lender Ujjivan Financial Services Ltd., caters to unserved and underserved segments. It started as a microfinance lender but has diversified by entering the non-microfinance business.
  • The IPO by the lending arm of Ujjivan Financial Services Ltd., its holding company, was required to comply with the Reserve Bank of India’s licensing norms. The bank has to pare its promoter shareholding to 40% within five years of operations. Ujjivan Financial was listed in 2016.
  • The fundraising will help the bank bolster its Tier-I capital
  • Ujjivan Small Finance had about 5 million customers at the end of September.

Market Reaction

  • Ujjivan Small Finance shares climbed as high as 62.80 rupees before closing the session at 56 rupees in Mumbai, up 51% from the IPO price.
  • “The sector is under-penetrated and offers big scope for growth,” said Mona Khetan, Mumbai-based analyst at Reliance Securities Ltd. The stock is “fairly priced” after the listing gains, she said.
  • Here are some of the top gainers among IPOs over the past two years:
CompanyOffer Price (Rs.)Debut Gains (%)
IRCTC320127
Avenue Supermarts299114
Central Depository14975
HDFC AMC1,10065
Dixon Technologies1,76664
CSB Bank19554
AU Small Finance Bank35851

--With assistance from Paresh Jatakia.

To contact the reporter on this story: Nupur Acharya in Mumbai at nacharya7@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Lianting Tu at ltu4@bloomberg.net, Ravil Shirodkar

©2019 Bloomberg L.P.

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