Sebi comes out with new General Information Document for public offers

Markets regulator Sebi on Tuesday asked merchant bankers to provide to investors an updated copy of the 'General Information Document' for public issues, having information about UPI mechanism and reduced timeline for IPOs.

The General Information Document (GID) highlights certain key rules, processes and procedures applicable to public issues.

In a circular, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has come out with certain generic disclosures that should be mentioned in the GID.

It further said these generic information are not required to be provided in the abridged prospectus, which gives only key information to investors about IPOs and FPOs.

These generic disclosures pertain to alternate payment mechanism using UPI and consequent reduction in timelines for listing in a phased manner.

Some other disclosures are purpose of the GID, brief introduction to IPOs or FPOs, category of investors eligible to participate in an offer, offer procedure in book built offer, issue procedure in fixed price offer, allotment procedure and basis of such allotment, interest and refund, and glossary and abbreviations.

Sebi said the updated GID should be made available on the websites of the stock exchanges, where the shares are proposed to be listed.

The regulator has asked the merchant banker to ensure that an updated copy of GID is provided to an investor as and when requested by the investor.

The new framework will become applicable to all the prospectus filed on or after March 17, the regulator added.

Earlier in 2013, Sebi had asked the companies to give investors an abridged prospectus for IPOs and FPOs, with key information only, and provide generic details in a separate document. This was aimed at helping investors better understand the nuances of public offers.