Airtel promoters to sell shares worth over Rs 9,000 crore in block deal

Promoters of Bharti Airtel are set to offload shares worth up to Rs 9,310 crore ($1.06 billion) through a secondary share sale via block deal on Friday according to a company filing to the exchanges.

The proposed transaction will be executed by Indian Continent Investment, a promoter group entity. The share sale will involve up to 50 million equity shares, which accounts for approximately 0.8% of the company’s total equity base, the report said.

The floor price for the block deal has been set at Rs 1,862 per share, which represents a 3.15% discount to Bharti Airtel’s last closing price. Based on this pricing, the total deal size could go up to Rs 9,310 crore, making it one of the larger secondary deals in the Indian market this year.


Jefferies India and JPMorgan India have been appointed as joint placement agents for the deal. The block deal route allows large shareholders to sell stakes in listed companies through a single transaction without significantly impacting the stock price.

Bharti Airtel’s stock has been among the better performers in the telecom sector over the past year, supported by tariff hikes, strong subscriber additions in the premium segment, and a steady increase in average revenue per user (ARPU). However, the block deal announcement may put some near-term pressure on the stock.

The company has not yet issued an official statement regarding the deal. However, block deals of this nature are typically used by promoter groups or large institutional investors to monetise part of their holding, sometimes to fund new ventures or rebalance portfolios.

As of June 2025, the promoter and promoter group held around 55.2% stake in Bharti Airtel. The planned sale would slightly pare down their stake, but the company will continue to remain tightly held.

The deal is expected to attract strong institutional interest, especially from long-only investors, given the company’s strong fundamentals and consistent operational performance.