Catholic Syrian to sell 15% stake to AIF Capital Development; seeks RBI nod for sale

Kerala-based Catholic Syrian Bank is in the process of selling a 15% stake to AIF Capital Development, a Mauritius-registered private equity firm. It is seeking the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) permission for the same. The RBI’s policy on shareholding in private sector banks allows any single entity to own a maximum of 10% stake in a bank. Catholic Syrian Bank hopes to get clearance from the RBI to have a single shareholder owning more than 10% stake as has been allowed in Yes Bank (Rabobank – 19.29%) and Centurion Bank of Punjab (BankMuscat – 17.76%). AIF Capital Development has already obtained clearance from the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB). The government’s guidelines allow up to 74% foreign ownership in banks.

The bank plans to make a preferential allotment to AIF Capital to fulfill the central bank’s requirement that every private sector bank must have a minimum net worth of Rs. 300 crores. The bank had a net worth of Rs. 215.58 crores as on March 31, 2006. The Kerala-based bank has a network of 334 branches and extension counters, which include 5 NRI branches, 5 SSI branches, 5 industrial finance branches and 4 service branches.

Read the Business Standard article.

Yes Bank gets Rs. 120 crores from Swiss Re

Leading global re-insurer, the Zurich-based Swiss Reinsurance Company (Swiss Re) has bought a 3.57% strategic stake in the domestic private sector Yes Bank. Swiss Re has provided an equity infusion of Rs. 120 crores ($26.5 mn) by way of private placement. The paid-up share capital of the bank has now increased to Rs. 280 crores and the total capital base, including Tier-I & Tier-II capital, has now crossed the Rs. 1,000-crore mark.

Post- issue, the promoters’ holding will come down to 37.2% from 38.6%. Rabobank’s stake will fall to 19.3% from 20% and the holding of private equity investors including Citicorp International, Russell AIF and ChrysCapital to 17.9% from 18.5%.

Yes Bank plans to raise $150 mn of capital by March 2007.

For more, read the following Business Standard article.