By Aditya Kalra
NEW DELHI, Oct 27 (Reuters) - Indian food delivery giant
Swiggy has slashed its IPO valuation again, to $11.3
billion, 25% below the initial goal of $15 billion as market
volatility and the lacklustre debut of Hyundai India weigh on
sentiment, two sources said on Sunday.
BlackRock ( BLK ) and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB)
will invest in the $1.4 billion IPO, which will be the country's
second-biggest stock offering this year, the sources told
Reuters.
Swiggy, Blackrock ( BLK ) and CPPIB did not immediately respond to
requests for comment outside business hours.
Indian shares have fallen for four weeks in a row, the
longest such losing run since August 2023, with the benchmark
Nifty 50 index down more than 8% from record highs hit
on Sept. 27, due to persistent foreign selling.
Hyundai India shares fell 7.2% on their debut last
week after retail investors gave a lukewarm reception amid
concerns about a lofty valuation.
Swiggy, backed by SoftBank and Prosus, was
concerned to avoid a tepid response to its relatively large IPO,
coming amid global uncertainty from the Nov. 5 U.S. presidential
election, and decided to cut the valuation in consultation with
investors, said one source, with direct knowledge of the
company's plans.
Swiggy does not want a "bad IPO", this person said. Its last
funding round, led by Invesco ( IVZ ), valued it at $10.7 billion in
2022.
It competes with Zomato in India's online
restaurant and cafe food deliveries sector, and both have made
major bets on a boom in "quick-commerce," where groceries and
other products are delivered in 10 minutes.
Despite recent jitters, India's IPO market has been buoyant,
with around 270 companies raising $12.57 billion so far this
year, well above the $7.4 billion raised in all of 2023.