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Anchor Investors in IPOs

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Anchor Investors were introduced in the financial market by the Securities and Exchange Board of India in 2009 to act as a bridge between the company and the public. 

Let’s talk about Anchor investors as they play a vital role in determining whether you are putting your money in an asset or not. Before we move ahead with a detailed discussion on what are anchor investors, know that anchor investors are one of the biggest driving forces that determine the value and movement of an asset in the market. 

What is the Meaning of Anchor Investor?

Anchor investors, simply put, work like an entity that puts their name behind an asset before they are made public on the stock exchange to add value and authenticity to the asset. An anchor investor commits to subscribing to an asset at a predetermined price to help the asset create a strong name.

The simplest examples of anchor investors are mutual funds or financial funds and they play a vital role in determining the value of an asset, especially Initial Public Offerings (IPOs), as anchor investors play a significant role in the IPO process.

Importance of Anchor Investors

Here’s the role played by anchor investors that makes them an important player in the market and clears your doubts about what are anchor investors: 

  • Adding Credibility

The decision of an anchor investor in an asset or security in the market adds credibility as anchor investors are known for their rigorous due diligence.

  • Brings Transparency

Trusting security in the stock market is tough when there is no transparency. However, if an anchor investor has invested in a security, this information is made public. 

  • Affects the Market Value of a Security

A security with an anchor investor is usually seen to have a higher value in the stock market thus significantly influencing the success of any security. 

How Anchor Investors Operate

Now that we have established that Anchor Investors play a significant role in the stock market, let’s understand how anchor investors operate:

  • Minimum Investment Size

An anchor investor has to follow a strict investment size while putting their money in security. For instance- According to SEBI, an anchor investor has to invest a minimum of ₹10 crore in an IPO. 

  • Lock-in Period

Since anchor investors significantly influence security in the market, they have to abide by a lock-in period of 30 days i.e. they can not back out of a security before the passing of 30 days from the allotment date.

  • SEBI Guidelines

Every move of an anchor investor in the stock market is guided by SEBI to ensure credibility and transparency. 

Examples of Anchor Investors

The simplest way to understand anchor investors meaning is by taking an example. 

Let’s say a Company is planning to offer its 10,000 shares in the market as IPOs. Before introducing its IPOs in the stock market, the company reaches out to anchor investors like mutual funds or banks by offering them a large portion of their shares at heavily discounted rates. 

The company allows 2,000 shares to mutual funds and 1,000 to banks. Now once the company goes public on the stock exchange, they have 7,000 IPOs for the public and support from names like mutual funds and a reputed bank to grow credibility and increase the price. 

Anchor Investors vs. Other Types of Investors

The stock market has mainly 4 types of investors including anchor investors and each of them has a significant role to play. Let’s take a quick look at them:

  • Anchor Investors

Anchor investors are large financial entities that subscribe to shares primarily IPOs with a minimum amount of ₹10 crore. 

  • Qualified Institutional Investors

As the name suggests, these are qualified institutional investors registered with the SEBI who are offered a company’s share at a lucrative price to increase the value of shares in the stock market. A company can not provide more than 50% of its shares to QIIs. They have to invest an amount more than ₹2 lakhs in shares of a company. 

  • Non-Qualified Institutional Investors

They work the same as QIIs with the only difference being that the former is not registered with the SEBI.

  • Retail Individual Investors

Any individual who subscribes to a share for less than or up to ₹2 lakhs is a retail individual investor. 

Impact of Anchor Investors on Share Prices

Now that you have all your doubts cleared on what are anchor investors, let’s take a quick look at the impact anchor investors have on share prices:

  • The Price Discovery of Shares

  • Enhancing Credibility of Shares

  • Ensuring Price Stability due to Lock-in Period 

  • A Boost to Investors’ Confidence 

How to Attract Anchor Investors

Since an anchor investor plays a vital role in determining the price of a share, it is obvious for a company to find ways to attract reliable anchor investors. While there isn’t a set formula to attract an anchor investor, here are two key factors a company must know: 

  • Both the BSE and NSE exchange publishes a detailed list of all the registered anchor investors along with their allocation prices and the shares allocated to them.

  • Anchor investors are reputed investors who are willing to put their money in companies with a promising future and lucrative prices. Make sure to find an anchor investor that matches your company’s portfolio and goals from the stock market. 

Conclusion

The financial world is filled with complicated terms that often appear too technical and complex to understand. However, once you get familiar with these terms you can make your investment portfolio stand out amongst others.

The early commitment of an anchor investor works like a two-headed wand that helps an IPO or asset gain the confidence of investors and the anchor investor benefits from a lower investment size. 

If you have reached here, you have familiarised yourself with anchor investors meaning it’s time to create a free demat account and trading account at a reliable portal like Bajaj Trading to start investing. 

Disclaimer: Investments in the securities market are subject to market risk, read all related documents carefully before investing.

This content is for educational purposes only. Securities quoted are exemplary and not recommendatory.

For All Disclaimers Click Here: https://bit.ly/3Tcsfuc

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the meaning of anchor investor?

Answer Field

An anchor investor is a large financial entity registered with SEBI, like a mutual fund or bank that walks in like an investor in shares of a company to add credibility and value.

How do anchor investors impact initial public offerings (IPOs)?

Answer Field

Anchor investors have a significant role to play in the IPO process as they purchase shares of the company before it announces IPOs at a predetermined price thus adding credibility to IPOs and influencing its value in the market. 

What are the benefits of having anchor investors in a public offering?

Answer Field

Anchor investors serve the primary purpose of enhancing the value of IPOs in the stock market by adding credibility, trust and transparency. Additionally, when shares of a company are offered to anchor investors, the company is left with a limited number of IPOs for the public that again pushes the value. 

What types of companies typically seek anchor investors?

Answer Field

Any company that is planning to go public by registering itself on the stock exchange are usually seeking the entry of an anchor investor.

How do anchor investors affect stock prices post-IPO?

Answer Field

SEBI makes anchor investors follow a 30-day lock-in period that stops them from backing out from a share before the passing of 30 days of IPO announcements. This helps prohibit a significant drop in the IPO price. 

What are the risks associated with anchor investors?

Answer Field

Anchor investors come bearing certain risks as well including limited price discovery as shares are offered to them at a predetermined price without gauging the stock market additionally, relying heavily on anchor investors has concentration risk as well i.e. keeping a large portion of the company’s shares in a single entity thus restricting diversification.

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