Competition Commission approves LIC's majority stake buy in debt-laden IDBI Bank

New Delhi: The Competition Commission has cleared LIC’s proposed acquisition of up to 51 percent stake in debt-laden IDBI Bank. The deal would help the insurance behemoth to enter the banking space and would provide business synergies despite the IDBI Bank’s stressed balance sheet. [caption id=“attachment_5555941” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Reuters.[/caption] In a tweet on Tuesday, the fair trade regulator said it has approved “acquisition of up to 51 percent equity share capital in IDBI Bank Ltd by Life Insurance Corporation of India”. Mergers and acquisitions beyond a certain threshold require the approval of the Competition Commission of India (CCI), which keeps a tab on unfair business practices across sectors. In August, the government gave its nod for the LIC’s proposed purchase of up to 51 percent stake in the bank. With the deal, the insurer would have access to around 2,000 branches of the bank through which it can sell its products.

@CCI_India approves acquisition of upto 51% equity share capital in IDBI Bank Ltd by Life Insurance Corporation of India

— CCI (@CCI_India) November 27, 2018

Last month, the LIC announced an open offer to buy 26 percent stake from shareholders of the bank. The open offer, wherein shares are to be acquired at a price of Rs 61.73 apiece, would commence from 3 December.