PE funds target small firms

Private equity (PE) funds floated by Indian brokerages are making big inroads into the world of smaller companies as bigger PEs stay away from them.

Brokerages such as Motilal Oswal, Religare, JM Financial, Edelweiss, Anand Rathi Securities, IDBI Capital Markets, which together manage over Rs 2,600 crore, are seeing opportunities in the small-cap space, providing the much-needed expansion capital to entrepreneurs, who otherwise find it tough to raise funds to meet their capital requirements.

IDBI Capital Market Services, the broking and financial subsidiary of IDBI, launched a Rs 50 crore private equity fund aimed at funding small and mid-sized companies. The company along with other PEs such as Sidbi Ventures have invested in GSPC Gas, a subsidiary of Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation.

Read more in The Business Standard article.

Citigroup Venture to buy 19.9% stake in Anand Rathi

Leading private equity investor Citigroup Venture Capital International is picking a 19.9% stake in Anand Rathi Securities (ARS), a Mumbai-based stock brokerage promoted by former BSE president Anand Rathi.

While announcing the deal on Friday, ARS said the funds will be utilised for the expansion purpose and also for meeting working capital requirements. The company, however, did not disclose the size of the deal and the price at which the stake is being acquired by the US-based fund.

In the past few years, many Indian brokerages have raised funds through the PE route, which has mainly gone into expansion of their businesses. Motilal Oswal Securities, India Infoline, Edelweiss Securities, IL&FS Investsmart and Indiabulls Financial Services are among the brokers which roped in foreign investors when the market was bullish.

Read more in The Economic Times article.