Top Headlines: Smaller i-banks join IPO party, Sony-Zee merger, and more

Bulge-bracket investment banks (i-banks) are getting picky about initial public offerings (IPOs) amid a growing list of companies aspiring to go public. Defence public sector undertakings (PSUs) have been asked by the Centre to hold roadshows in Dubai and Abu Dhabi to share their financials and business plans to reel in investors. Read more on these in our top headlines.

Smaller i-banks join big-fat IPO party; large players get picky

Bulge-bracket investment banks (i-banks) are getting picky about initial public offerings (IPOs) amid a growing list of companies aspiring to go public. Sources said large-sized i-banks, both domestic as well as foreign, are taking a selective approach when it comes to opting for mandates, turning down IPOs of less than Rs 1,000-crore in size and focusing on more lucrative deals. Read more
 

Defence PSUs to hold roadshows in Dubai, Abu Dhabi to woo investors

Defence public sector undertakings (PSUs) have been asked by the Centre to hold roadshows in Dubai and Abu Dhabi to share their financials and business plans to reel in investors. Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL), Bharat Dynamics (BDL), Bharat Electronics (BEL), Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE), and Mishra Dhatu Nigam (MIDHANI) have informed stock exchanges that they will conduct investor outreach programmes and participate in ‘non-deal’ roadshows and meetings with prospective investors from September 12-15. Read more
 

Sony, Zee offer concessions to ease CCI's concerns over merger: Report

A unit of Sony Group and India's Zee Entertainment have proposed offering concessions such as pricing discounts to help ease concerns of the country's antitrust regulator over their merger, which will create a $10-billion TV behemoth, two sources told Reuters. Read more
 

India's breakneck speed could see fastest rollout of 5G services globally

The country’s two top telcos, Reliance Jio and Airtel, are working overnight to undertake one of the fastest global roll-outs of 5G services in any country just a month down the line. India might be late in the game (already 70 countries have some kind of 5G and there are 698 million 5G subscribers across the world), but it’s moving at breakneck speed. Read more
 

Patients' out-of-pocket medical bill spend declined in 2018-19, shows data

Out of every Rs 100 spent on health in India, around Rs 48.2 is borne by households directly. This is lower than what it was 15 years ago, but is still significantly higher than the global figure. The burden is twice as high in some states compared to others, shows an analysis of data from the National Health Accounts Estimates for India (2018-19) released on Monday.  Read more