Paytm, Vijay Shekhar Sharma to acquire Raheja QBE General Insurance
Raheja QBE is owned 51 per cent by Prism Johnson and 49 per cent by QBE AustraliaPaytm is set to acquire both stakes and would own 100 per cent of the company
NEW DELHI : Fintech major Paytm today announced that it will acquire 100% stake in Mumbai-based private sector general insurance company Raheja QBE. Without disclosing the financial details of the transactions, Paytm said it will acquire the 51% stake in Raheja QBE held by Prism Johnson and also the 49% stake in the company held by QBE Australia.
"It is an important milestone in Paytm's financial services journey, and we are very excited to welcome Raheja QBE General Insurance into the Paytm family. Its strong management team will help us accelerate our journey of taking insurance to the large population of India with the aim to create a tech-driven, multi-channel general insurance company with innovative and affordable insurance products," said Amit Nayyar, President at Paytm.
Raheja QBE which started operations in 2009, is a joint venture between Prism Johnson Ltd and QBE Insurance Group, one of Australia's largest insurers.
Meanwhile, Prism Johnson Ltd, formerly Prism Cement Ltd, in a separate statement said its board has approved selling its entire 51 per cent stake in its general insurance joint venture Raheja QBE General Insurance Company Ltd (RQBE) to Paytm and Vijay Shekhar Sharma for about ₹290 crore.
In a regulatory filing Prism Johnson said its board has approved divestment of 51 per cent of the paid-up equity share capital in RQBE, a material subsidiary, to QORQL Pvt Ltd for an aggregate consideration of ₹289.68 crore.
QORQL Pvt Ltd, is a technology company with majority shareholding of Vijay Shekhar Sharma and remaining held by Paytm.
"Today's announcement marks both a continuation of QBE's strategy to simplify our business and the beginning of a new & exciting chapter for our strong team at Raheja QBE," QBE Australia Pacific Chief Executive Officer Vivek Bhatia said.
Prism Johnson said the consideration to be received by the company for the divestment is subject to certain adjustments which may be carried out between the date of execution of definitive agreement and closure of the sale, and other customary terms for a sale of such nature.
The divestment will result in the termination of the company's joint-venture with Australia's QBE in the general insurance business in India. Post the Divestment, RQBE will also cease to be a subsidiary of the company," Prism Johnson added.
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