LIC-IDBI Bank deal: State-owned lender approves insurance behemoth's proposal to pick up additional 7% stake

New Delhi: IDBI Bank on Friday approved LIC’s proposal to pick up additional 7 percent stake in the bank, a move that will eventually lead to the acquisition of 51 percent shareholding by the insurance behemoth in the debt-ridden lender. The board of directors have approved the proposal for seeking shareholders’ approval through postal ballot for the preferential issue of equity capital to Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) aggregating up to 14.90 percent of the bank’s post-issue paid-up capital, IDBI Bank said in a filing to stock exchanges. At present, insurance behemoth LIC holds 7.98 percent stake in the public sector bank. Earlier this month, the Union Cabinet had approved LIC’s proposed acquisition of up to 51 percent stake in debt-ridden IDBI Bank. [caption id=“attachment_5088081” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Reuters.[/caption] This first round of stake sale, sources said, will take care of the immediate need of IDBI Bank and help it meet capital adequacy norms at the end of second quarter. The bank, in which the government holds 85.96 percent stake, had posted a net loss of Rs 2,409.89 in the quarter ending June 2018. It had a gross non-performing asset (NPA) of about Rs 57,807 crore. The board of Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI), at its meeting held in Hyderabad in June, had permitted LIC to increase its stake from 10.82 percent to 51 percent in IDBI Bank. As per current regulations, an insurance company cannot own more than 15 percent in any listed financial firm. LIC has been looking to enter the banking space by acquiring a majority stake in IDBI Bank as the deal is expected to provide business synergies despite the lender’s stressed balance sheet. With the culmination of the deal, LIC will get about 2,000 branches by which it can sell its products, while the bank would get massive funds of LIC. The bank would also get accounts of about 22 crore policyholders and subsequent flow of fund.