Specialist in Indian Banking and Economic Research

Hemindra Hazari

A notable feature in <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/hdfc-bank-ltd-4b6b7a92-9087-468d-9dbe-ab169e77f014" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:558:1" rel="noopener">HDFC Bank (HDFCB IN)</a> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/kotak-mahindra-bank-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:126:1" rel="noopener">Kotak Mahindra Bank (KMB IN)</a> (KMB) is the historical absence of any commercial banking expertise amongst the independent directors on the boards. The founders ( <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/housing-development-finance" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:252:1" rel="noopener">HDFC Limited (HDFC IN) </a>and Uday Kotak) and the Nomination and Remuneration Committee in both banks, as a deliberate strategy, have tried to ensure that only non-independent directors have commercial banking expertise. This is unusual, as other private sector banks such as <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/icici-bank-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:547:1" rel="noopener">ICICI Bank Ltd (ICICIBC IN)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/axis-bank-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:768:1" rel="noopener">Axis Bank Ltd (AXSB IN)</a>,  <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/indusind-bank-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:1558:1" rel="noopener">Indusind Bank (IIB IN)</a> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/federal-bank-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:11784:1" rel="noopener">Federal Bank (FB IN)</a> have former commercial bankers as independent directors on their boards.Banking, being a specialised and highly regulated sector with an economy-wide systemic impact, needs that some directors have commercial banking expertise separate and distinct from the executive.The absence of such independent functional expertise on the board is a sign that the executive/controlling shareholders do not want to be challenged or to have close oversight in the banks’ core area of operations. HDFC Bank and KMB are poster banners for private sector banking in India, with a combined market capitalisation of US$ 159 bn. They have achieved this without the presence of former commercial bankers as independent directors. Both Aditya Puri (erstwhile HDFC Bank CEO) and Uday Kotak maintained an iron-clad grip on asset quality, which is visible in their track record of profitability and stock market valuation. However, banking should not be individual-based, but based on appropriate systems. A diversified board of directors, including those with commercial banking expertise independent of the executive, should be mandatory in all banks. Regardless of their track record and valuation, banks which deliberately exclude such critical functional expertise on their boards must be hauled up by the Reserve Bank of India, credit rating analysts and the capital markets. The fact that HDFC Bank and KMB have rewarded shareholders manifold without such independent expertise on their boards should not be an excuse for such an anomaly to continue, nor should it be replicated in other banks.

A notable feature in HDFC Bank (HDFCB IN) and Kotak Mahindra Bank (KMB IN) (KMB) is the historical absence of any commercial banking expertise amongst the independent directors on the boards. The founders ( HDFC Limited (HDFC IN) and Uday Kotak) and the Nomination and Remuneration Committee in both banks, as a deliberate strategy, have tried to ensure that only non-independent directors have commercial banking expertise. This is unusual, as other private sector banks such as ICICI Bank Ltd (ICICIBC IN), Axis Bank Ltd (AXSB IN),  Indusind Bank (IIB IN) and Federal Bank (FB IN) have former commercial bankers as independent directors on their boards.Banking, being a specialised and highly regulated sector with an economy-wide systemic impact, needs that some directors have commercial banking expertise separate and distinct from the executive.The absence of such independent functional expertise on the board is a sign that the executive/controlling shareholders do not want to be challenged or to have close oversight in the banks’ core area of operations. HDFC Bank and KMB are poster banners for private sector banking in India, with a combined market capitalisation of US$ 159 bn. They have achieved this without the presence of former commercial bankers as independent directors. Both Aditya Puri (erstwhile HDFC Bank CEO) and Uday Kotak maintained an iron-clad grip on asset quality, which is visible in their track record of profitability and stock market valuation. However, banking should not be individual-based, but based on appropriate systems. A diversified board of directors, including those with commercial banking expertise independent of the executive, should be mandatory in all banks. Regardless of their track record and valuation, banks which deliberately exclude such critical functional expertise on their boards must be hauled up by the Reserve Bank of India, credit rating analysts and the capital markets. The fact that HDFC Bank and KMB have rewarded shareholders manifold without such independent expertise on their boards should not be an excuse for such an anomaly to continue, nor should it be replicated in other banks.

HDFC Bank and KMB Carefully Select Independent Directors - For Their Lack of Banking Knowledge

Head of Research, IPOs & Placements, Aequitas Research

Sumeet Singh

Head of Research, IPOs & Placements

IPOs and Placements coverage across Asia Pacific

Aequitas Research

We cover all listing across the Asia Pacific along with follow-up placements. As of Dec 2020, our team had covered 539 IPOs with a hit rate of 73.5% and 685 placements with a hit rate of 66.8%.

We combine fundamental bottom-up views with our proprietary quantitative framework to provide a holistic coverage across new listings and placements. Our coverage includes pre-IPO notes before the deal is launched, follow-up analysis once the deal is live and post-listing trading analysis as well.

Equity Capital Markets

Devyani International  / Equity Capital Markets

Devyani International Limited (DIL), Yum Brand’s largest franchisor in India, raised around US$250m via its Indian IPO. DIL operates a chain of quick service restaurants (QSRs) in India. Its core business is to operate KFC, Pizza Hut and Costa Coffee in India. It operated 655 stores across 155 cities in India, as of Mar 2021. These include 264 KFC stores, 297 Pizza Hut stores and 44 Costa Coffee stores. It also operates stores in Nepal and Nigeria for KFC and Pizza Hut. In addition, it also runs its own brands Vaango, Food Street, Masala Twist, Ile Bar, Amreli, and Ckrussh Juice Bar in India. Yum owns over 4% stake in the company.We covered various aspects of the deal in our previous notes,<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/devyani-pre-ipo-might-not-do-another-burger-king-india-but-should-be-good" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Devyani Pre-IPO - Might not do another Burger King India but should be good</a>,  <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/devyani-pre-ipo-peer-comparison-slots-in-neatly" target="_blank" rel="noopener"></a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/devyani-pre-ipo-peer-comparison-slots-in-neatly" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Devyani Pre-IPO - Peer Comparison - Slots in Neatly</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/devyani-pre-ipo-thoughts-on-valuation" target="_blank" rel="noopener"></a>
</li>
<li><a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/devyani-pre-ipo-thoughts-on-valuation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Devyani Pre-IPO - Thoughts on Valuation, and</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/devyani-ipo-still-some-upside-on-un-adjusted-ebitda-basis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Devyani IPO - Still Some Upside on Un-Adjusted EBITDA Basis</a></li>
</ul>In this note, we will talk about the trading dynamics.

Devyani International Limited (DIL), Yum Brand’s largest franchisor in India, raised around US$250m via its Indian IPO. DIL operates a chain of quick service restaurants (QSRs) in India. Its core business is to operate KFC, Pizza Hut and Costa Coffee in India. It operated 655 stores across 155 cities in India, as of Mar 2021. These include 264 KFC stores, 297 Pizza Hut stores and 44 Costa Coffee stores. It also operates stores in Nepal and Nigeria for KFC and Pizza Hut. In addition, it also runs its own brands Vaango, Food Street, Masala Twist, Ile Bar, Amreli, and Ckrussh Juice Bar in India. Yum owns over 4% stake in the company.We covered various aspects of the deal in our previous notes,

Devyani Pre-IPO - Might not do another Burger King India but should be good,  


Devyani Pre-IPO - Peer Comparison - Slots in Neatly, 

Devyani Pre-IPO - Thoughts on Valuation, and
Devyani IPO - Still Some Upside on Un-Adjusted EBITDA Basis
In this note, we will talk about the trading dynamics.

Devyani IPO Trading - Strongest of the Lot

Aptus Value Housing Finance India / Equity Capital Markets

Aptus Value Housing Finance (AVHF) aims to raise around US$375m in its India IPO. The company is backed by a host of investors including WestBridge, Malabar Investments, Sequoia, Madison and Steadview CapitalAptus Value Housing Finance India Limited (AVHF) is a retail focussed housing finance company (HFC) primarily serving low and middle income self-employed customers in the rural and semi-urban markets in India. AVHF was one of the largest HFC’s in South India in terms of AUM, as of Mar 21. AVHF’s net interest income has grown by 38-55% pa over FY18-FY21, while its Pre-provision operating profit has done even better with 40-63% pa growth. Earnings growth has been driven by its rapid loan growth which has been between 28-58% pa over the past three years.Although loan growth has been slowing down and disbursements growth had already declined from 47% YoY in FY19 to just 2% YoY in FY21.In this note, we will look at the company’s past performance, run the deal through our ECM framework and talk about pricing

Aptus Value Housing Finance (AVHF) aims to raise around US$375m in its India IPO. The company is backed by a host of investors including WestBridge, Malabar Investments, Sequoia, Madison and Steadview CapitalAptus Value Housing Finance India Limited (AVHF) is a retail focussed housing finance company (HFC) primarily serving low and middle income self-employed customers in the rural and semi-urban markets in India. AVHF was one of the largest HFC’s in South India in terms of AUM, as of Mar 21. AVHF’s net interest income has grown by 38-55% pa over FY18-FY21, while its Pre-provision operating profit has done even better with 40-63% pa growth. Earnings growth has been driven by its rapid loan growth which has been between 28-58% pa over the past three years.Although loan growth has been slowing down and disbursements growth had already declined from 47% YoY in FY19 to just 2% YoY in FY21.In this note, we will look at the company’s past performance, run the deal through our ECM framework and talk about pricing

Aptus Value Housing Finance IPO - Valuation Is Too Rich, Especially with an Over-Capitalised Book

Nuvoco Vistas (NV) aims to raise around US$673m in its India IPO. It is promoted by the Nirma Group and has recently acquired Emami’s cement business.Nuvoco Vistas (NV) is the fifth largest cement company in India and the largest cement company in East India, in terms of capacity. It had a total consolidated capacity of 22.32 MMTPA across 11 cement plants, comprising five integrated units, five grinding units and one blending unit. It also operates a RMX business with 49 RMX plants across India. As of Dec 2020, its cement production capacity constituted approximately 4.2% of total cement capacity in India and 17% of total cement capacity in East India.The company’s past revenue growth has been subdued, largely owing to COVID-19 impact. Although, it has managed to expand its EBITDA margin, especially in FY20, thus shoring up EBITDA growth. However, there is nothing particularly alluring about the stock that makes it stand out versus its peers. In this note, we will run the deal through our ECM framework and talk about pricing

Nuvoco Vistas (NV) aims to raise around US$673m in its India IPO. It is promoted by the Nirma Group and has recently acquired Emami’s cement business.Nuvoco Vistas (NV) is the fifth largest cement company in India and the largest cement company in East India, in terms of capacity. It had a total consolidated capacity of 22.32 MMTPA across 11 cement plants, comprising five integrated units, five grinding units and one blending unit. It also operates a RMX business with 49 RMX plants across India. As of Dec 2020, its cement production capacity constituted approximately 4.2% of total cement capacity in India and 17% of total cement capacity in East India.The company’s past revenue growth has been subdued, largely owing to COVID-19 impact. Although, it has managed to expand its EBITDA margin, especially in FY20, thus shoring up EBITDA growth. However, there is nothing particularly alluring about the stock that makes it stand out versus its peers. In this note, we will run the deal through our ECM framework and talk about pricing

Nuvoco Vistas IPO - Don’t See Any Strong Reason to Buy

CarTrade Tech aims to raise around US$400m in its India IPO. The company is backed by Warburg Pincus and Temasek.CarTrade Tech (CTT) is an online auto portal for sale of cars and two-wheelers in India. It is a multichannel auto platform with coverage and presence across vehicle types and value-added services through its various brands, namely: CarWale, CarTrade, Shriram Automall, BikeWale, CarTrade Exchange, Adroit Auto and AutoBiz.In 4Q21 (period ending March 21), its platforms had an average of 31.99m unique visitors per month and 814,316 vehicles were listed for auction in FY 2021. Although, most of the prior growth appears to have come via acquisitions. Were one to adjust for the acquisitions, the underlying growth doesn’t appear to be very strong.We have covered various aspects of the deal in our previous note, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/cartrade-tech-pre-ipo-acquisition-adjusted-growth-remains-lows" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CarTrade Tech Pre-IPO - Acquisition adjusted growth remains low</a>.In this note, we will run the deal through our ECM framework and talk about pricing.

CarTrade Tech aims to raise around US$400m in its India IPO. The company is backed by Warburg Pincus and Temasek.CarTrade Tech (CTT) is an online auto portal for sale of cars and two-wheelers in India. It is a multichannel auto platform with coverage and presence across vehicle types and value-added services through its various brands, namely: CarWale, CarTrade, Shriram Automall, BikeWale, CarTrade Exchange, Adroit Auto and AutoBiz.In 4Q21 (period ending March 21), its platforms had an average of 31.99m unique visitors per month and 814,316 vehicles were listed for auction in FY 2021. Although, most of the prior growth appears to have come via acquisitions. Were one to adjust for the acquisitions, the underlying growth doesn’t appear to be very strong.We have covered various aspects of the deal in our previous note, CarTrade Tech Pre-IPO - Acquisition adjusted growth remains low.In this note, we will run the deal through our ECM framework and talk about pricing.

Cartrade Tech IPO - Too Expensive for Our Taste

India

HDFC Bank Ltd. offers a wide range of services to the global corporate sector. The Bank provides corporate banking and custodial services and is active in the treasury and capital markets. HDFC also markets project advisory services and capital market products such as Global Deposit Receipts, Euro currency loans, and Euro currency bonds.

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HDFC Bank (HDFCB IN)

HDFC Bank and KMB Carefully Select Independent Directors - For Their Lack of Banking Knowledge

The absence of independent commercial banking expertise on the board is a sign that the executive do not want to be challenged or to have close...

Hemindra Hazari

Devyani IPO Trading - Strongest of the Lot

Devyani International Limited (DIL), Yum Brand’s largest franchisor in India, raised around US$250m via its Indian IPO. In this note we will talk...

Sumeet Singh

Aptus Value Housing Finance IPO - Valuation Is Too Rich, Especially with an Over-Capitalised Book

Aptus Value Housing Finance aims to raise around US$375m in its India IPO. It is backed by a host of investors including WestBridge, Malabar...

Sumeet Singh

Nuvoco Vistas IPO - Don’t See Any Strong Reason to Buy

Nuvoco Vistas (NV) aims to raise around US$673m in its India IPO. It is promoted by the Nirma Group and has recently acquired Emami’s cement business.

Sumeet Singh

Cartrade Tech IPO - Too Expensive for Our Taste

CarTrade Tech aims to raise around US$400m in its India IPO, via a 100% secondary selldown. The company is backed by Warburg Pincus and Temasek.

Sumeet Singh

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