“Empowering Growth: Asirvad Micro Finance’s Journey to IPO Approval”

Empowering Growth Asirvad Micro Finance, a subsidiary of the listed NBFC Manappuram Finance, has received approval from the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to raise funds through an initial public offer (IPO).

The proposed IPO is a fresh issue of equity shares of up to Rs 1,500 crore with no offer for sale (OFS) component, according to the Draft Red Herring Prospectus (DRHP).

The company may also consider issuing fresh shares on a private placement basis worth Rs 300 crore.

Asirvad Micro Finance filed preliminary IPO papers with SEBI in October 2023, and obtained observations from SEBI on April 22. Earlier, the markets regulator had put Asirvad Microfinance’s IPO on hold in January this year.

SEBI’s observation means that the regulator has approved the public issue. As per draft papers, the proceeds from the fresh issue will be used to augment the capital base of the company to meet future business requirements.

Asirvad Micro Finance was launched in 2008 with just two branches in Tamil Nadu. Over the years, it has expanded its presence across 22 states and 4 Union Territories through a network of 1,684 branches, as of March 31, 2023, which covers 450 districts. As of March 31, 2023, the company caters to 3.25 million active borrowers in the microfinance portfolio that constitutes a majority of its assets under management.

It also caters to loans against gold and provides MSME loans. JM Financial Ltd, Kotak Mahindra Capital Company, Nomura Financial Advisory and Securities (India), and SBI Capital Markets are the book-running lead managers and Link Intime India Pvt Ltd is the registrar of the offer.

The equity shares are proposed to be listed on the BSE and NSE.