IPO-bound companies defer launches to avoid Jio mega issue

Mumbai: Jio Platforms' ongoing mega IPO appears to have prompted various IPO-bound companies to heed an old market adage: Don't stand in front of a freight train. Many of these firms are said to have pushed back the launch of their share sales to avoid clashing with Jio's ₹30,213 crore issue, India's largest ever, amid concerns that its sheer size would dominate investor attention and take away a large portion of the market liquidity.

Jio Platforms' IPO is open for subscription from October 21 to 23. Paras Healthcare's ₹1,450-crore offering is the only other issue currently open. Excluding Jio Platforms, nine IPOs have hit the market so far in October, raising about ₹12,000 crore. In comparison, 23 IPOs raised ₹22,453 crore in August, while 34 issues mobilised ₹39,381 crore in September.

"With Jio Platforms' mega offering likely to draw significant investor attention and liquidity, issuers and bankers are wary of launching into a crowded market that could dilute visibility and subscription demand," said Adeepto Saha, associate partner at Deloitte India.


Several companies have instead lined up their offerings for the period after Jio's issue closes.

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November is expected to witness a pickup in primary market activity, with around 15 IPOs lined up to raise a combined ₹28,000 crore. Milestone Gears, Avaada Electro, M K Sons Fine Jewels, Swara Baby Products, Integris Medtech, AGS Health, Learnfluence Education, Eastman Auto & Power, Veritas Finance and Virupaksha are among the companies expected to launch offerings next month.

"A large IPO such as Jio Platforms does always have some impact on other companies approaching the primary market," said Prashant Gupta, partner and national practice head-capital markets at Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co. Gupta said, however, the pipeline for qualified institutional placements (QIPs) remains fairly robust.

Read more: Jio leverage play pops up at SBI as India brokers lure IPO bets

Several companies also chose to complete their IPOs before Jio's offering opened. Zetwerk Manufacturing Businesses was the largest among the nine October launches, with an issue size of ₹5,012 crore. The IPO was subscribed 3.06 times during its October 15-19 subscription period.

Other offerings launched earlier this month included Fusion CX's ₹702-crore issue, Tonbo Imaging India's ₹852-crore IPO and more.