Thursday, June 19, 2014

[aaykarbhavan] Source Business standard and Business Line




Source  Business  Standard

Sebi throws a lifeline to primary market


BS REPORTERS

New Delhi/ Mumbai, 19 June

Capital market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India ( Sebi) on Thursday announced a slew of measures to boost equity issuances by India Inc and help rejuvenate the primary market, which at present seems to be in deep slumber. In a move that will level the playing field between private and state- owned companies and bring in paper supply of nearly $ 10 billion over the next three years, Sebi has proposed even public- sector undertakings ( PSUs) would need to have at least 25 per cent public float, compared with the current cap of 10 per cent. The regulator said the government would be given three years to meet the holding requirement.

"Under the current rule, while non- PSUs are required to have a minimum 25 per cent public shareholding, state- run firms are required to have only 10 per cent. That is discriminatory and inconsistent with the broader market design," Sebi said in a statement. "Sebi believes the rules for the market should be uniform across companies and should be promoterneutral,"

it added. Turn to Page 7 >

OFS ROUTE MADE AVAILABLE TO TOP 200 FIRMS BY M- CAP MINIMUM DILUTION CRITERIA FOR SMALLER FIRMS EASED PSUs GET THREE YEARS FOR 25% PUBLIC FLOAT BREATHING LIFE

Sebis measures and their likely impact

RESEARCH ANALYSTS UNDER SEBI AMBIT

Now: The Sebi ( Research Analyst) Regulations, 2014, approved to register and regulate individual research analysts and entities Earlier: No registration required IMPACT: There will be more transparency and accountability

ESOP ISSUANCE NORMS

Now: Secondary- market purchases allowed with strict riders Earlier: Esops could be offered only through fresh issue of shares IMPACT: Will give India Inc more leeway in rewarding employees

QIP PRICING NORM

Now: On the basis of volumeweighted average price Earlier: On the basis of closing price IMPACT: Better price discovery

ANCHOR- INVESTOR LIMIT

Now: 30% of the issue size from the institutional investor bucket Earlier: 15% of the issue size from the institutional investor bucket IMPACT: Almost a third of IPOs will be covered even before opening; anchor investors commitment will give confidence to retail investors

STAKE DILUTION VIA IPOs

Now: Minimum dilution of 25% or 400 crore, whichever is lower, for companies with valuation of up to 4,000 crore Earlier: Minimum dilution of 25% if valuation is less than 4,000 crore IMPACT: Smaller firms might not have to dilute 25% in one go

25% PUBLIC FLOAT FOR PSUs

Now: All PSUs need to have at least 25% public float, like private firms Earlier: 10% minimum public float for PSUs IMPACT: Govt will have to divest 60,000 cr worth of stake in 36 PSUs; investor base will be diversified

OFS SCOPE

Now: Retail quota of 10% and provision for retail discount; made available for top 200 firms and non- promoters with holding of over 10% Earlier: No separate quota or discount for retail; available only to promoters and top- 100 companies IMPACT: More entities can go for secondary divestment via OFS route; equity issuances will improve

THE SMART INVESTOR P16 >

>PSU indices wobble on free float rule >Research analysts must registerwith Sebi to give advice >OFS may emerge secondary share sale route of choice


Click here to read more...

Click: Article continued from…Sebi throws a lifeline


Sebi throws a lifeline to primary market


Top PSUs like Coal India, NMDC, MMTC and Hindustan Copper, which had recently achieved the earlier limit, will now have to issue more stakes to the public to comply with the new norms. According to estimates, the government will have to dilute
60,000 crore worth of its stake in 36 PSUs.

Market players said the move would help attract new investors to the equity market.

"Government issuances are always welcomed by investors. This will also help bring back retail investors in a big way. Both in terms of volume and quality of issuances, Isee this as a big positive for the market," said Kotak Investment Banking Executive Director Gesu Kaushal.

In a move that will encourage more companies to launch initial public offerings ( IPO), Sebi relaxed the minimum dilution criteria for smaller companies. Against the earlier norms that forced companies with valuations of less than 4,000 crore to sell a minimum of 25 per cent stake in IPOs, the regulator introduced a new threshold of 400 crore. Going ahead, a company will have to divest at least 400 crore or 25 per cent, whichever is lower, through an IPO.

The regulator also doubled the portion meant for anchor investors in IPOs — the limit for these investor has been increased from 15 per cent to 30 per cent of the issue size. The shares, however, will be given from the institutional investor bucket, which is 50 per cent of the overall IPO size.

Anchor investors are those institutions that invest in IPOs days before opening dates and whose investments are locked in for a period of 30 days from the date of allotment.

By committing capital to an IPO even before the opening of the issue, these investors send a positive signal to others.

"The proposed changes in the IPO norms are welcome. The anchor- investor limit increase will result in a larger book available for

Decision soon on FDI in rail projects, fare hike


BS REPORTER

New Delhi, 19 June

The cash- short railways want to tap funding from the private sector and is likely to take a decision on foreign direct investment ( FDI) projects shortly.

Minister Sadananda Gowda has met his commerce and industry counterpart, Nirmala Sitharaman, in this regard. Some key projects expecting FDI funding could be a part of the railway budget.

And, the pending decision on a fare rise is likely next week. The railways had put a 6.5 per cent increase in freight rates and 10 per cent in passenger fares under the fuel adjustment component on hold, awaiting the formation of a new government.

"We are short of resources and we need to mobilise all possible avenues of funding. We are holding discussions with the ministry of industry and commerce and very soon, we will come out with the course of action. The decision on fare hike will come in the next four- five days," said Gowda to the media after a meeting of general managers.

With public- private partnerships to be a focus area in the coming budget, the railways want the policy to get finalised as soon as possible. Port connectivity projects expecting FDI funding could be a part of the coming rail budget. Last year, private players had shown interest in various port connectivity projects worth over 3,800 crore.

Also, projects such as the locomotive factories for Marhowra and Madhepura have evoked the interest of various international companies.

The two projects are estimated to cost 3,400 crore. However, these companies require more clarity on policy.

In December 2012, the railways ministry had notified aPolicy for Participative Models for rail connectivity and capacity augmentation projects, after a government notification of 2012 permitted foreign investors in construction of fixed rail infrastructure projects and maintenance.

NOT ON TRACK

Some key focus areas for the railways

|Clean and hygienic stations and trains |Ensure 100 per cent punctuality of trains |Change the working culture, shed hierarchy |Engage more with ground- level officers for new solutions |Ensure safety of women and elderly

 

Research analysts must register with Sebi to give advice


BS REPORTER

Mumbai, 19 June

The Securities and Exchange Board of India ( Sebi) on Thursday announced it had formulated new norms for research analysts, including minimum requirements in terms of experience and qualification, as well as capital adequacy. The Sebi ( Research Analyst) Regulations, 2014, would be applicable to brokerage houses, merchant bankers, proxy advisors, etc, said a Sebi statement issued after a meeting of the regulators board.

"The regulations seek to register and regulate individual research analysts and entities engaged in issuance of research reports or research analyses and/ or publication of substance of research report or who provide research report or make buy/ sell/ hold recommendations on securities or who make recommendations on public offers," the statement said.

The regulator also announced prerequisites for analysts. " Requirements relating to experience, qualification, certification and capital adequacy have been prescribed in the regulations for an individual person or an entity to act as research analyst," the statement said.

Shriram Subramanian, founder and managing director of InGovern, a proxy advisory firm, said norms on disclosure of holdings, conflicts of interest and compensation were welcome. He added all proxy advisory firms already followed such practices as part of their code of conduct.

Amit Tandon, managing director of Institutional Investor Advisory Services, pointed out global brokerage and financial services firms operating in India usually followed the practices of their parents in developed markets.

Since these were now responsible for most of the trading volume, it might be fair to say the majority of the market already adhered to such standards, he said.

The regulator has also sought to put restrictions on trading by research analysts, as well as put in place norms related to their compensation. "Limitations on publication of research reports and restrictions on public appearances have been prescribed in the regulations," Sebi said.

"The regulations specify the research report prepared shall have complete disclosures in respect of financial interest, receipt of compensation, etc, so that investors can understand the actual or potential conflicts of interest and their likely impact on the quality of the research report published. The regulations specify provisions in relation to disclosures to be made in research reports and during the public appearance," it added.

The new regulations also specify provisions for a code of conduct, as well as maintenance of records. These are to be implemented within 90 days of their publication in the official gazette.

|Norms on capital adequacy, experience and qualification |These will apply to all who issue research reports, make buy/ sell/ hold recommendations |Greater disclosures on financial interest, compensation |Restrictions on trading by research analysts |Limitations on publication of research reports and public appearances CHANGES FOR ANALYSTS

 

Source  Business Line

 

Speed voting enthrals Reliance shareholders

MAHISHA JHA/ JAYANTA MALLICK

 

Voting done via tablet devices

MUMBAI/KOLKATA, JUNE 19:  

Though the Ministry of Corporate Affairs has deferred mandatory e-voting for shareholders until December 31, Reliance Industries' shareholders got a taste of it during the company's 40th AGM, on Wednesday.

During the exercise, which lasted about 30 minutes, some shareholders were seen huddled in small groups around volunteers brandishing shiny new tablets while some preferred to approach volunteers individually to peer over the tablet screen and register their votes through the touch pad.

No one insisted on polling on the ordinary resolutions. But taking a cue from the new Companies Act, RIL Chairman Mukesh Ambani, conducted a spot poll.

Quick process

For 56-year-old Chetan Damani, who has been an RIL shareholder for the past 32 years, it took "just 90 seconds to vote on all the resolutions". Purushottam Budhwani, who first invested in RIL shares in 2004, added: "Earlier when I used to vote through show of hands it felt like just a formality. But now I actually felt I votedfor the first time. I am now looking forward to the TCS AGM. Being a technology company, let's see what they have to offer for e-voting."

More votes

"An advantage of e-voting is that under it one share has one vote while under the earlier system one person has one vote. So, for instance, if you have 100 shares, you can vote 'yes' for 50 shares and 'no' for 50 shares," said an RIL spokesperson. "As votes were being cast, a tally was collated on our back-end server but the processing of votes was not instantly reflected as a scrutinising process was followed by independent party Deloitte before announcing the end tally," he added.

"The Karvy InstaPoll system, based on Wi-Fi connectivity and backed by a local server physically installed at the venue, conducted the poll in a short span of time and the result was declared after scrutiny," said V Ganesh, CEO of Karvy Computershare.

Karvy, which formally launched the product on Thursday, said the system would be made available to its over 500 clients.

(This article was published on June 19, 2014)

 

--




A.Rengarajan

Company  Secretary

Chennai

93810  11200

"Positive belief in yourself will give you the energy needed to conquer the world and this belief is the power behind all creation." 
― Stephen RichardsThink Your way to Success: Let Your Dreams Run Free

CS Benevolent Fund is a collective effort towards extending the much needed financial support to the community of Company Secretaries in times of distress  Let us lend support and join for noble cause.



SHARING KNOWLEDGE SKY IS THE LIMIT

This mail and its attachments (if any) are confidential information intended for persons to whom the email is planned for delivery by the sender. If you have received this mail in error please notify the sender of the error by forwarding the email and its attachments (if any) and then deleting the mail received in error and the relevant email trail in this connection without making any copies or taking any prints.


__._,_.___

Posted by: CS A Rengarajan <csarengarajan@gmail.com>


receive alert on mobile, subscribe to SMS Channel named "aaykarbhavan"
[COST FREE]
SEND "on aaykarbhavan" TO 9870807070 FROM YOUR MOBILE.

To receive the mails from this group send message to aaykarbhavan-subscribe@yahoogroups.com





__,_._,___

No comments:

Post a Comment