India has tightened scrutiny of IPO-bound firms by questioning how key internal business metrics are used to arrive at valuations, unsettling bankers and companies which fear delays in listing plans, sources with direct knowledge explained.
India’s push comes after the flop listing of SoftBank-backed payments firm Paytm’s (PAYT.NS) $2.5 billion IPO in November which sparked criticism of lax oversight of how loss-making companies price issues at what some say are lofty valuations.
SEBI seeks stricter disclosures
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) last month flagged concerns in proposing stricter disclosures, saying more and more new-age tech firms which “generally remain loss-making for a longer period” were filing for IPOs, and traditional financial disclosures “may not aid investors.”
But even before the proposal is finalised, SEBI has in recent weeks asked many companies to get their non-financial metrics — KPIs, or key performance indicators — audited, and then explain how they were used to arrive at an IPO’s valuation, five banking and legal sources said.
Typically for a tech or app-based startup, KPIs could be figures like the number of downloads or average time spent on a platform — metrics sources said are disclosed but difficult to audit or link to a company’s valuation.
SEBI is asking us to “justify the valuation,” said one Indian lawyer advising several companies eyeing IPOs, adding it was “creating uncertainty and increasing cost of compliance.”
Indian digital healthcare platform PharmEasy, which had filed papers for an $818 million IPO in November, is one company that was hit by such scrutiny: one source with direct knowledge said the company raised concerns with SEBI about auditing and supplying such details, and is likely to get some relaxations.
It is not clear if the additional information requested by SEBI would be released to potential investors.
SEBI’s growing concerns
The tighter scrutiny comes when India’s startups and other companies have become a darling for foreign investors and increasingly hit the markets.
Last year, more than 60 companies – including high-profile tech ones – made their market debut and raised more than $13.5 billion, with many like ride-hailing firm Ola and hotel aggregator Oyo still in the pipeline.
The Paytm listing, though, raised concerns about valuations. After tanking on listing day, the Indian payment firm’s shares are currently trading 64% below their issue price, and some fund managers had said the episode will “hopefully bring some realism to valuations.”
