Warren Buffett set to pick up stake in Paytm
Paytm has been in talks with Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway since early February to raise about ₹ 2,200- 2,500 crore at a valuation of about $10-12 billion
Shrutika Verma
Last Published: Mon, Aug 27 2018. 07 19 AM IST
New Delhi: Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. is set to buy a small stake in One97 Communications Ltd, the parent of Paytm, making it the billionaire investor’s first investment in an Indian company, according to two people aware of the development. Paytm, India’s largest payment services provider, has been in talks with Berkshire Hathaway since early February to raise about ₹ 2,200- 2,500 crore ($300-350 million) at a valuation of about $10-12 billion, the two people cited above said on condition of anonymity.
An email to Berkshire Hathaway did not elicit a response. A Paytm spokesperson did not respond to an email seeking comment.
The deal, which is likely to be announced within the next two weeks, will be Berkshire Hathaway’s first investment in the country’s buzzing startup ecosystem. It will also be the company’s first investment in a privately-held technology company in the world. In the past, Berkshire Hathaway has selectively invested in some publicly listed tech companies, most notably International Business Machines (IBM) Corp. and Apple. Berkshire recently exited IBM, but still owns Apple stock.
In May, several publications reported that Berkshire Hathaway tried to invest in ride-hailing firm Uber. However, the talks were not successful.
Buffett, known as the Oracle of Omaha, did set up Berkshire India in 2011 and partnered with Bajaj Allianz to sell insurance. However, Berkshire exited the partnership two years later, citing excessive regulation, according to a CNN report.
More details in
https://www.livemint.com/Companies/SmFlY...Paytm.html
Specuvestor: Asset - Business - Structure.