Dubai firm buys 2.87% stake in ICICI Bank

Dubai International Capital (DIC), the investment arm of Dubai Holding, has bought 2.87% stake in ICICI Bank, the country's second largest bank.The Dubai firm may have paid $717 million for the stake acquired via an American depository receipts (ADR) issue open to foreign investors.

Dubai International Capital's investment in the Indian bank follows its recent purchase of 3.12% stake in European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company EADS, the parent company of aircraft manufacturer Airbus.

Singapore government investors held about 9.7% stake in ICICI before the latest share offering and had the approval to raise their stakes substantially.DIC aims to have assets worth $25 billion in the next two years.

EADS in tie-up talks with Jupiter Aviation

EADS, the ¤34.2 billion aerospace and defence major, is negotiating with former BPL chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar promoted Jupiter Aviation to set up a freighter conversion facility, that will convert passenger aircraft into cargo planes.The estimated investment for the facility, which will undertake domestic and international projects, would be $100 million.

State-run aerospace major Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) is also firming up plans for full fledged conversion centre for Boeing aircraft as part of its maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) centre.

The plant would be developed on the lines of the Germany-based airplane converting firm EFW, a wholly owned subsidiary of EADS, which is the parent of Airbus Industrie.Sources said the details such as final investment, location, equity structure and business plan are yet to be finalised. Jupiter Aviation & Logistics CEO and managing director S Ravi Narayanan declined to comment adding “it is too premature to comment on this matter.”

Read more in The Business Standard article.