PhonePe Receives SEBI Approval for IPO

86
22 Jan 2026
5 min read

News Synopsis

Digital payments platform PhonePe has received approval from the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) for its Initial Public Offering (IPO). As per the updated draft filings, the IPO will be a pure Offer-for-Sale (OFS), with no fresh issue of shares, meaning the company will not raise any new capital through the listing.

PhonePe Submits Updated Draft Prospectus to SEBI

PhonePe has filed its Updated Draft Red Herring Prospectus (UDRHP) with SEBI for its proposed IPO. According to the document, the public issue will consist solely of an Offer-for-Sale of 5.06 crore equity shares by promoter WM Digital Commerce Holdings and existing shareholders.

Since there is no fresh issue, the entire proceeds from the IPO will go to the selling shareholders and not to the company.

Confidential Filing and SEBI Approval Timeline

PhonePe had initially submitted its draft IPO papers to SEBI via the confidential filing route in September 2025. At the time, the IPO was expected to be a mega issue of around ₹12,000 crore.

The confidential route allows companies to maintain secrecy until a final decision on listing is taken. If required, companies can also withdraw draft papers later without disclosing sensitive business or financial information publicly. This method helps protect critical financial metrics, risk factors, and business strategies, particularly from competitors.

SEBI approved PhonePe’s confidential DRHP on January 20, 2026.

Who Is Selling Shares in the PhonePe IPO?

Promoter Stake Sale

  • WM Digital Commerce Holdings, owned by Walmart International Holdings Inc

  • Current stake in PhonePe: 71.77%

  • Shares offered for sale: 4.59 crore

  • Equivalent to 9.06% of paid-up equity capital

Other Selling Shareholders

  • Tiger Global PIP 9-1

  • Microsoft Global Finance Unlimited Company (a subsidiary of Microsoft Corporation)

These investors will collectively sell 47.17 lakh shares through the OFS. Both Tiger Global and Microsoft will fully exit PhonePe via the IPO.

Current Shareholding Structure

Among public shareholders:

  • General Atlantic Singapore PPIL8.98% stake (largest public shareholder)

  • Headstand5.73% stake

Other notable investors include:

  • Ribbit Capital

  • TVS Capital

  • Tencent

  • Qatar Investment Authority

PhonePe Financial Performance

April–September 2025

  • Net loss: ₹1,444.4 crore

  • Net loss (same period last year): ₹1,203.2 crore

  • Revenue from operations: ₹3,918.5 crore

  • YoY revenue growth: 22.2%

FY25 Performance

  • Net loss: ₹1,727.4 crore

  • Net loss in FY24: ₹1,996.1 crore

  • Revenue: ₹7,114.8 crore

  • Revenue growth: 40.5% (FY24 revenue: ₹5,064.1 crore)

Merchant Bankers for PhonePe IPO

The IPO will be managed by:

  • Kotak Mahindra Capital Company

  • JP Morgan India

  • Citigroup Global Markets India

  • Morgan Stanley India Company

  • Axis Capital

  • Goldman Sachs (India) Securities

  • Jefferies India

  • JM Financial

About PhonePe

PhonePe was launched in August 2016 and has grown into one of India’s leading digital payments and fintech platforms, offering UPI payments, insurance, investments, and financial services.

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