SREI Venture to raise $250 mn infrastructure fund by April 2007

SREI Venture Capital is raising a $250 mn infrastructure-focused fund by April 2007. The company plans to tap the UK’s Alternative Investment Market (AIM) or the main UK market. This will be SREI’s first overseas fund-raising, with the company’s contribution at 2-5%. The new fund will focus on the entire gambit of infrastructure projects in India right from oil & gas to roads to power projects.

SREI Venture Capital is a wholly owned subsidiary of SREI Infrastructure Finance, which is into financing infrastructure equipment, infrastructure projects and renewable energy projects. SREI Infrastructure manages assets worth of around Rs. 4500 crores.

This is the second time that SREI is attempting to raise a Rs. 1000 crore-plus fund after it launched the India Global Competitive Fund (IGCF) in mid-2005; so far, the fund has raised around $80 mn (Rs. 360 crores) and is in the process of raising further funds.

International Finance Corporation (IFC), DEG, Germany (a financial institution owned by the Government of Germany), FMO, the Netherlands (financial institution owned by the Government of the Netherlands) and BIO (financial institution owned by the Government of Belgium) are among the large stakeholders in the company.

Read the Business Standard article.

Indiabulls to reorganize businesses; may hive off broking biz into a separate entity

Indiabulls Financial Services is reorganizing its businesses. This will include the de-merger of its brokerage services known as Indiabulls Securities. The Indiabulls board has considered the proposal involving the de-merger of Indiabulls Securities on a going-concern basis and plans to list the resultant entity after the de-merger. Indiabulls also proposed the amalgamation of the entire business and undertaking of Indiabulls Credit Services with the company. Indiabulls has recently been in the news due to the IPO of its arm Dev Developers on the London Stock Exchange’s Alternative Investment Market (AIM) (See Related Post) and the hike in the stake held by steel magnate LN Mittal in the company.

Read the complete article in Business Standard.

NDTV Networks discusses stake sale to Blackstone; may list on LSE AIM

Rumour has it that Blackstone is probably looking at buying a stake in NDTV Networks, an NDTV Group company as part of an investment consortium. NDTV Networks plans to raise $130-160 mn by diluting 25-30% to the consortium, valuing the company at $433-640 mn. The money raised will be used for establishing new channels and businesses. NDTV Networks intends to list on the London Stock Exchange AIM market by the stake sale. Jefferies International Limited is the merchant banker to the issue.

Blackstone had recently invested $275 mn in Hyderabad-based Ushodaya Enterprises, owners of Eenadu and ETV, and Ramoji Rao Film City, one of the largest investments by a private equity fund in an Indian media company (See Related Post).

NDTV Networks will invest $106 mn of the cash in NDTV Imagine Limited, a Hindi mass entertainment channel with film director Karan Johar as partner, and $25.3 mn in NDTV Lifestyle Limited, a channel dedicated to travel, food, shopping, health and wellness. NDTV Networks also owns NDTV Labs, which develops technology and software solutions for TV broadcasting, NDTV Convergence, which owns and operates websites, and 50% in NDTV Media Services Private Limited, a JV with Genpact India Holdings, a media process outsourcing firm for overseas clients.

Read the Business Standard article.

Trinity to raise additional funds of $ 1bn for Indian realty

UK-based real estate fund Trinity Plc is planning to raise fresh funds. India-focused real estate fund Trikona Capital is the asset management company of Trinity promoted by two US-based entrepreneurs Rakshid Chugh and Aashish Kalra. This brings Trinity’s total fundraising to $1 bn this year. Trinity earlier had raised about $500 mn at London Stock Exchange’s AIM market last year. In addition to a secondary listing at the AIM market, it will also raise another private equity fund.

The secondary listing at the AIM market is expected to garner nearly $500 mn and the remaining will be raised through a PE fund. Trikona has declined to confirm the break-up of how the funds would be raised. The additional funding will be ploughed into the real estate sector.

Trikona is already in talks with several foreign investors to raise this additional funding. It has till now deployed funds worth $250 mn in the real estate sector and has committed funds worth $1 bn. Trikona has recently made investments in IL&FS Transportation Networks. It has also invested $20 mn to pick a 16% stake in a project owned by Kapstone Constructions. In October last year, Trikona entered into a JV with real estate developer Lokhandwala Builders for a residential project in Mumbai at an estimated cost of $103.4 mn. The fund picked a 49% stake in the venture for $21.5 mn.

Read The Economic Times article.

Indiabulls’ overseas real estate arm raises Rs. 1200 crores from LSE’s AIM

Indiabulls Real Estate’s overseas arm, Dev Property Development has raised Rs. 1200 crores from the London Stock Exchange’s AIM market. Investors include LN Mittal, Fidelity, Capital Research and the Singaporean government having picked up large stakes in the IPO. The company’s shares will start trading on the exchange from Monday. The Dev Property IPO was managed by Deutsche Bank, Citigroup and UBS. The lead marketing agent of the issue was CLSA and KPMG is the statutory auditor of Dev Property Development.

Dev Property Development will buy minority stakes in the projects of Indiabulls through a secondary sale of shares by the latter and by investing fresh equity capital in Indiabulls’ projects for a total consideration of Rs. 1055 crores. Indiabulls had received Rs. 437 crores by partial sale of its stake in Jupiter Mills and Elphinstone Mills development projects. Dev Property has also invested Rs. 618 crores in subsidiary companies of Indiabulls undertaking real estate projects. It would also have the right to co-invest along with Indiabulls in its future real estate projects.

Knight Frank has valued Indiabulls’ real estate projects at Rs. 21,569 crores and Indiabulls’ stake in its projects at Rs. 15,125 crores. Indiabulls’ real estate business has been de-merged to Indiabulls Real Estate and its shares are expected to start trading in February. All shareholders of Indiabulls Financial Services received one share of Indiabulls Real Estate for every share they held in Indiabulls Financial Services. In December, Indiabulls Infrastructure, a subsidiary of Indiabulls Real Estate, had sold 13.3% stake to LN Mittal and Farallon for a consideration of Rs. 447 crores.

Read The Times of India article.

Goldman Sachs to pick up 5% stake in ITNL for Rs. 90 crores

Goldman Sachs is about to pick a 5% equity stake in IL&FS Transportation Networks (ITNL) for around Rs. 90 crores. ITNL is a vehicle promoted by IL&FS to spearhead its initiative in transportation infrastructure development.

This will be the second private placement in ITNL in the last three months. In October 2006, US-based private equity fund Trikona Capital bought 2.5% stake in the company for around Rs. 40 crores. Trikona also announced a $100-mn partnership with parent company IL&FS for investments in real estate and infrastructure.

ITNL is the promoter of the Noida toll road project and owns 22.6% equity in Noida Toll Bridge Company. Noida Toll Bridge is listed on the AIM market in London Stock Exchange. ITNL currently has a portfolio of 10-11 road sub-sector projects, which are in the development phase and a pipeline of such projects in the planning phase. The company, which has got road projects in Ahmedabad, Rajasthan, has recently won an annuity contract in Chhattisgarh. Incorporated in 2000, IL&FS has domiciled most of its transport sector investments and resources in ITNL for its surface transportation projects. The company also intends to participate in green field projects and provide advisory services. Already, the holdings of IL&FS and existing financial investors in the IL&FS sponsored projects are being transferred to ITNL.

Last week, Goldman Sachs bought a 5% stake in the National Stock Exchange. IL&FS was one of the deal makers in the transaction.

Read The Economic Times article.

OTCEI likely to get equity infusion from foreign bourses

Following the interests shown in the NSE and the BSE by foreign investors, there is news that foreign stock exchanges are now eyeing equity stake in the Over the Counter Exchange of India (OTCEI). The government wants to position the OTCEI on the lines of London’s Alternative Investment Market (AIM) by allowing easier corporate governance norms for the exchange, and is now planning to throw a lifeline to the now defunct bourse for small and medium companies.

Accordingly, the government is likely to encourage foreign stock exchanges to buy a strategic stake in the bourse. Recently, officials from the China Shanghai Stock Exchange visited the OTCEI and it is learnt that the Chinese may be willing to buy 5% in the exchange as permitted under current guidelines. It is also learnt that London’s AIM and the South Korean Stock Exchange may be willing to buy stakes in the exchange. In addition to relaxing the listing norms on the OTCEI, the government is also likely to increase the eligibility criteria for companies coming out with IPOs.

The OTCEI was incorporated in early 1991, even before the establishment of the NSE in 1994. The forthcoming Budget is likely to name its exclusivity for listing by small and medium enterprises. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has also appointed a sub-committee to study the revival of the OTCEI.

Read more on this in the Business Standard article.