Sebi amends delisting rules to make merger and acquisition more convenient

However, to ensure compliance with the Securities Contract (Regulation) Rules, the acquirer would be forced to first bring his stake down to 75 percent as the Sebi delisting norms would not let the acquirer even to attempt at delisting unless the holding is first brought down to 75 percent. Such directionally contradictory transactions in a sequence pose complexity in the takeover of listed companies, especially where the acquirer desires to get the company delisted pursuant to his takeover.

The revised framework aims to make merger and acquisition (M&A transactions) for listed companies a more rational and convenient exercise, balancing the interest of all investors in the process. In the new framework, Sebi said that if the response to the open offer leads to the delisting threshold of 90 percent being met, all shareholders who tender their shares would be paid the indicative price.

In case the response to the offer leads to the delisting threshold of 90 percent not being met, all shareholders who tender their shares would be paid the open offer price. If a company does not get delisted following an open offer under this framework, and the acquirer crosses 75 percent due to the open offer, a period of 12 months from the date of completion of the open offer will be provided to the acquirer to make further attempts to delist the company using the reverse book building mechanism.

Such further delisting attempt will be successful if 50 percent of the residual public shareholding is acquired and delisting threshold is met. If delisting during this extended 12-month period is not successful, the acquirer then must comply with the minimum public shareholding norm within12 months from the end of such period.

If the acquirer at the time of open offer states upfront that it would opt for remaining listed, and the total stake at the end of the tendering period reaches above 75 percent, then the acquirer may opt for either proportionately scaling down of purchases made under both, i.e. the underlying share purchase agreement and the shares tendered under open offer. The scaling down will be done in a manner that the 75 percent threshold is never crossed or alternatively, the acquirer shall have to become compliant with minimum public shareholding within the time stipulated under the Securities Contract (Regulation) Rules, 1957.

To give this effect, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has amended the SAST (Substantial Acquisition of Shares and Takeovers) Regulations. The new rules came into effect from Monday. This came after the board of Sebi approved a proposal in this regard in September.