NSE Files DRHP for $2-3 Billion IPO: Tiger Global and SBI to Exit

The National Stock Exchange (NSE) has officially restarted its long-awaited public listing journey by filing its Draft Red Herring Prospectus (DRHP) with SEBI. This landmark move marks a significant comeback for India’s largest exchange, nearly nine years after its initial IPO attempt was halted by regulatory hurdles.

An Offer for Sale Led by Global and Domestic Giants

The proposed IPO is structured entirely as an Offer for Sale (OFS), meaning the NSE will not receive any fresh capital from the issue; instead, existing shareholders will be divesting portions of their holdings. The DRHP proposes the sale of up to 14.89 crore shares, each with a face value of Re 1.

Global investment firm Tiger Global has emerged as the most prominent seller, proposing to offload 1.48 crore shares, which constitutes over 13% of the total offer size. Other international investors such as Aranda Investments (Mauritius) and SAIF II-SE Investments are also slated to reduce their stakes. On the domestic front, major institutional players including IDBI Bank, State Bank of India (SBI), and SBI Capital Markets will participate in the sale. Other notable participants include IFCI, HDFC Standard Life, Bajaj Holdings & Investment, and Bank of Baroda.

Valuation and Market Position

The timing of the filing follows the removal of a major regulatory overhang after SEBI issued a no-objection certificate, settling the long-standing co-location controversy that began in 2015. Based on current unlisted market prices ranging between Rs 1,950 and Rs 2,050 per share, the NSE is valued at approximately Rs 5 lakh crore.

Market analysts note that while the exchange's valuation appears high—trading near 45x FY26 earnings—it remains relatively attractive compared to its peers. For context, the BSE trades at approximately 70x earnings, while MCX commands a much higher multiple of around 80x. This valuation reflects NSE's status as a capital-light, near-monopoly operator in the Indian financial ecosystem.

Risks and Regulatory Tailwinds

Malgré des perspectives optimistes, les experts du secteur mettent en garde contre certains risques de volatilité. Les bénéfices de la NSE dépendent fortement de l'activité de négociation de produits dérivés, un segment qui a récemment fait l'objet d'une surveillance accrue. Les récentes interventions de la SEBI visant à limiter la participation excessive des particuliers dans le segment des contrats à terme et des options (F&O) pourraient avoir un impact sur les volumes de transactions et, par conséquent, sur les flux de revenus de la bourse.

Cependant, le dépôt réussi du DRHP devrait agir comme un catalyseur massif pour le marché primaire de l'Inde. Après un début d'année relativement calme, l'introduction en bourse (IPO) de la NSE est prête à devenir l'un des événements les plus importants du marché des capitaux de l'histoire récente, offrant aux investisseurs une exposition directe à l'acteur dominant des marchés d'actions et de produits dérivés en Inde.

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