The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on Wednesday approved the sale of a 60.72% stake in IDBI Bank to Fairfax Financial Holdings, founded by Indian-born Canadian billionaire Prem Watsa, for ₹52,877 crore, making it one of the biggest foreign investments in the country’s banking sector.
The transaction involves the sale of the government’s 30.48% stake and Life Insurance Corporation of India’s (LIC) 30.24% holding in IDBI Bank. Following the proposed transaction, the government will retain a 15% stake and LIC 19%, taking their combined holding to 34%.
Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the strategic partnership would facilitate fresh capital infusion into IDBI Bank and create growth opportunities for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), small industries, and new entrepreneurs.
Fairfax has been a major investor in India through Fairfax India Holdings Corporation, which had assets worth $3.8 billion as of June 30, 2026. Its other investments include non-bank lender IIFL Capital and online brokerage firm 5paisa.
The proposed transaction comes at a time when the war in the Middle East has strained government finances and weaker foreign inflows have put pressure on the rupee.
IDBI Bank stake sale: From disinvestment plan to regulatory clearances
The IDBI Bank stake sale has long been a target for the government as part of its efforts to reduce state ownership in the banking sector. In October 2022, the government issued a preliminary information memorandum inviting expressions of interest.
In July, the government received revised bids from Fairfax and Emirates for the IDBI Bank stake after lowering the reserve price for the sale. Initial bids, invited in the financial year 2025–26, had fallen short of the reserve price and were not approved.
With the transaction now cleared by the committee of ministers, following consideration by a panel of senior bureaucrats, it will require regulatory clearances from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).
The Fairfax deal is expected to consolidate some of the investor’s existing Indian lending investments in line with regulatory rules.
Meanwhile, Fairfax also owns a 40% stake in small private-sector lender CSB Bank Ltd. With Fairfax set to acquire a stake in IDBI Bank, the Canadian investor may be given up to two years to either sell its stake in CSB Bank or merge it with IDBI Bank, as RBI rules prohibit an entity from owning and operating two separate banks, Mint reported in August, citing sources.
IDBI Bank stake sale: Government retains 34% stake after Fairfax deal
Gaurav Garg, Head of Research, Lemonn, said this is a fair price for the government, and the bigger win is that a sale first approved in 2021 has finally been done. Fairfax pays ₹81 a share, ₹52,878 crore for 60.72%. That is 6.6% above the ₹75.99 independent fair-value benchmark and covers about two-thirds of the ₹80,000 crore FY27 disinvestment target.
The less-noticed point is that the state is not fully leaving. The government and LIC keep 34% between them, with no board seats, and will sell it down over the next few years. Fairfax’s real test comes after closing, when it must merge CSB Bank into IDBI within 24 months.
The government is handing over control, not walking away; its leftover 34% will shape how this stock trades for years.
Open offer is a safety net, not a windfall
Gaurav Garg said retail shareholders are holding at a higher price than the new owner paid. IDBI closed at ₹90.39 on 14 October, up about 9% and roughly 12% above Fairfax’s ₹81. The compulsory open offer must be priced at ₹81 or the 60-day average market price, whichever is higher.
That makes it a safety net, not a payout. Precedent is sobering: when LIC offered ₹61.73 in 2018, only about a fifth of minority holders accepted, and the stock traded below that price four years later. Gains now depend on Fairfax improving the bank, while the government and LIC’s 34%, plus Fairfax’s eventual cut to 26%, is supply waiting to reach the market.
Retail investors are paying more than Fairfax did; the open offer is a floor, not a windfall.
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