Reliance unveils India's biggest IPO plan as Jio Platforms files DRHP

Mumbai: Jio Platforms (JPL) - the telecom, digital and technology arm of Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries - filed its draft red herring prospectus (DRHP) with the Securities and Exchange Board of India on Friday, for what's expected to be India's largest-ever public issue.

Bankers indicated the initial public offering (IPO) size is likely to be a record $4 billion (₹37,000 crore). The National Stock Exchange has just filed its DRHP for an IPO that is expected to raise ₹30,000 crore ($3.2 billion), making it the second-biggest. The largest so far is Hyundai Motor India's ₹27,000-crore issue in 2024. This is the first IPO from the Reliance Industries (RIL) stable in nearly two decades, after that of Reliance Petroleum in 2006.

DRHP Was Deferred Amid West Asia Tensions

It will entirely be a fresh issue of 270 million shares, amounting to 2.9% of JPL's total equity.

The IPO size could value Jio Platforms at as much as ₹13 lakh crore ($138 billion), according to ET's calculations. Rival Bharti Airtel's market capitalisation is ₹11.6 lakh crore based on the Friday close, ranking it third behind RIL and HDFC Bank. RIL, with a market cap of ₹17.7 lakh crore, holds 66.43% of Jio Platforms' pre-issue equity.

Part of the proceeds will be used to pay up to ₹27,500 crore of loans early, at Reliance Jio Infocomm (RJIL), JPL's operating subsidiary, with the rest to be used for general corporate purposes, said the documents released on Friday.

Jio Platforms may extend funds to RJIL by subscribing to its equity shares, convertible or non-convertible preference shares, debentures, or by granting loans or a mix of both, according to the DRHP.

"The company believes that the progressive deleveraging of the balance sheet, further strengthened by the proposed prepayment from net proceeds, will position the company favourably for continued investment in its strategic priorities, including 5G network densification and expansion, fixed broadband penetration, AI and cloud services, enterprise digital services, and international technology partnerships," the offer document said.

Large investors own close to 30.9% of Jio Platforms. Jaadhu Holdings, an affiliate of Meta Platforms, holds 9.98% of the company, followed by Google International at 7.73%. Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake and Vista Equity affiliates, General Atlantic, KKR-backed entities and Abu Dhabi Investment Authority vehicles hold minority stakes.

Jio Platforms had earlier planned to file the DRHP in March, but put the plan on hold amid uncertainty over the West Asia conflict and volatile equity markets. The initial plan was for shareholders to offer their shares in the IPO, but this was later changed to a fresh issue.

Up to 50% of the net issue will be allocated to qualified institutional buyers, including anchor investors, while at least 35% will be reserved for retail investors and not less than 15% for non-institutional investors.

The IPO will be managed by a consortium of 19 book-running lead managers, including Kotak Mahindra Capital, Morgan Stanley India, BofA Securities India, Axis Capital, BNP Paribas, Citigroup Global Markets and DAM Capital Advisors, among others.