Paytm IPO subscribed 48%; Coal India to SBI Life, check 10 biggest ever IPOs

Paytm IPO subscribed 48% as fintech firm heads into last issue day; check the biggest ever IPOs in India from Coal India to SBI Life.

Paytm IPO: The company has put 48.3 million shares for sale in what is expected to be India's largest stock market listing. (REUTERS)

Paytm IPO of up to 183 billion rupees ($2.47 billion) was subscribed 48% on the second day of the issue period, receiving bids for 23.5 million shares, stock exchange data showed on Tuesday. Earlier in the day, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board put in an order for about 6 million shares in the main book, a source told Reuters. At the higher end of the price band, this translates to about 12.8 billion rupees.

Ant Group-backed Paytm said last week it allocated shares worth 82.35 billion rupees to more than 100 institutional investors, including the government of Singapore, BlackRock Global Funds, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and Abu Dhabi Investment Authority.

Launched a decade ago as a platform for mobile recharging, Paytm grew quickly after ride-hailing firm Uber listed it as a quick payment option. Its use swelled in 2016 when a ban on high-value currency bank notes in India boosted digital payments.

Paytm's offering opened for retail investors on Nov. 8, the day on which Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the currency ban or demonitisation five years ago.

Founder and Chief Executive Vijay Shekhar Sharma had then hailed Modi's move, calling it "the biggest,the boldest & the most ambitious surgical strike by any government in the world".

A year before that Sharma, the son of a schoolteacher from a small city in India's most populous northern Uttar Pradesh state, had won for Paytm the backing of Chinese billionaire Jack Ma's Ant Financial.

Over the years, Sharma, who has often praised Ma and posted pictures with him, also went on to win other big investors for his firm, including SoftBank and Berkshire Hathaway.

Those stake sales have helped him gain a net worth of $2.4 billion, according to Forbes.

On Monday, as Paytm opened bids Sharma visited an ancient Hindu shrine in Southern India and posted a picture on Twitter https://twitter.com/vijayshekhar/status/1457625259952119809.

"I've come here to seek blessings of God for all of Paytm family," Sharma said.

Paytm is looking to raise roughly $2.2 billion via the IPO at a valuation of $20 billion.

The bids close on Wednesday and Paytm will list on Indian bourses on Nov. 18.

Top investor Ant Financial, which owns 27.9% of Paytm, plans to sell shares worth 47.04 billion rupees.

($1 = 74.1900 Indian rupees)

India's 10 biggest ever IPOs, led by Paytm

Here's a look at India's top 10 IPOs, according to Prime Database.

1. Coal India (2010) - the state-run miner raised 151.99 billion rupees in what was India's biggest initial public offering of shares. Coal India is the world's largest coal miner.

2. General Insurance Corp of India (2017) - the state-run reinsurer raised 112.57 billion rupees.

3. SBI Cards & Payment Services (2020) - owned by the State Bank of India, the country's largest lender, the company raised 103.41 billion rupees.

4. Reliance Power (2008) - helped by investors' faith in the family's name as a result of the group of companies set up by Anil Ambani's father, tycoon Dhirubhai Ambani, the company raised 101.23 billion rupees.

5. New India Assurance(2017) - the state-run company raised 95.86 billion rupees.

6. Zomato (2021) - the food delivery app raised 93.75 billion rupees. Launched in 2008, the company collates restaurant reviews and offers home delivery of food, making it a competitor to Indian start-up Swiggy and Amazon.com's food delivery service.

7. DLF (2007) - the real estate company raised 91.88 billion rupees.

8. HDFC Standard Life Insurance (2017) - now known as HDFC Life Insurance - raised 86.95 billion rupees in its IPO. It competes with players including SBI Life Insurance.

9. SBI Life Insurance (2017) - the company raised 83.89 billion rupees.

10. Gland Pharma (2020) - based in the southern tech hub of Hyderabad, the company raised 64.80 billion rupees. Established in 1978, Gland Pharma makes injectable generic drugs and sells its products in over 60 countries. 

($1 = 74.1900 Indian rupees)