Renuka Sugars sells 7.5 per cent stake in NCDEX for Rs 66.54cr

Leading sugar firm Shree Renuka Sugars has raised Rs 66.54 crore by offloading 7.5 per cent stake in commodity exchange NCDEX to investors including NSE and IFFCO.
Of the 7.5 per cent stake sold by the sugar major, 5 per cent has been acquired by the NCDEX original promoter NSE.
Renuka Sugars has sold 1.12 per cent stake to IFFCO and another 1.38 per cent to Star Agriwarehousing and Collateral Management, sources said.
The stake sale in NCDEX is as per Renuka Sugars' strategy to divest non-core assets and reduce debt.
Earlier this month, Renuka Sugars had announced that the company has entered into agreement for sale of 38,02,300 equity shares of National Commodity & Derivatives Exchange Ltd (NCDEX), representing 7.5 per cent of paid-up capital of NCDEX for a total sale consideration aggregating to Rs 66.54 crore.

The deal was subject to approvals of NCDEX Board and commodity market regulator Forward Markets Commission (FMC).

In a filing to the BSE, Renuka Sugars today said it has "completed the aforesaid transactions on May 22, 2014".
Post this transaction, Renuka Sugars stake stands reduced from 12.5 per cent to 5 per cent in NCDEX, which is the country's second largest commodity exchange.
In a separate statement, NSE said it has acquired 5 per cent stake in NCDEX.
"NSE as an original promoter of NCDEX had an equity stake of 15 per cent in NCDEX which was reduced to 10 per cent. Pursuant to regulatory changes allowing stock exchanges to hold up to 15 per cent in commodity exchanges, NSE has now acquired an equity stake of 5 per cent which takes its total shareholding in NCDEX back to 15 per cent," the statement said.

As per the latest shareholding pattern, NSE is now the largest shareholder in NCDEX with 15 per cent stake, followed by LIC and NABARD having 11.1 per cent stake each.
Co-operative major IFFCO and Oman India Joint Investment Fund have 10 per cent stake each in NCDEX. Punjab National Bank (PNB) has 7.29 per cent stake, while Build India Capital Advisors LLP has 6.10 per cent and Canara Bank has 6.03 per cent. IDFC Private Equity Fund III and Renuka Sugars Ltd have 5 per cent stakes each.
In February 2014, Renuka Sugars had sold 27.5 per cent stake in the company to Singapore-based agri-business major Wilmar International to reduce its domestic debt.

Earlier this month, regulator FMC had issued guidelines about shareholding norms in national commodity exchanges and as per that no resident individual can hold more than a 5 per cent stake in these bourses.
Only a commodity exchange, stock exchange, depository, bank, insurance company or public financial institution can hold up to 15 per cent in such an exchange.