Deal Talk
March 19, 2025
Easy Trips, Without Cash: Exploring Easemytrip’s Cashless Foreign and Domestic Share Swaps
INTRODUCTION
A recent trend coming up in the market is utilizing
non-cash share-swaps for the purpose of acquisitions
and investments. This structure can be utilized
for the purposes of acquiring an Indian entity or
an overseas entity. In case of a share swap, an
acquirer acquires the shares of another company
(either through a primary or secondary acquisition)
and as consideration for the acquisition, the acquirer
issues its own shares to the other company / selling
shareholders of such other company (“Share
Swap”).
Easy Trip Planners Limited (“EaseMyTrip”)
is currently using this strategy for acquiring stakes
in three companies – Pflege Home Health Care
Centre LLC (“Pflege”),
Jeewani Hospitality Private Limited (“Jeewani”)
and Planet Education Australia Pty Ltd (“Planet”).
Everything was going smoothly, until recently when
Stakeholders Empowerment Services (“SES”)
released a report advising shareholders to vote
against the resolution of EaseMyTrip to issue shares
on preferential basis for the acquisition of Pflege,
Jeewani and Planet.
The baffling question is – why did SES
oppose this move?
In this edition of Deal Talk, we discuss the
complex Share Swap structures adopted by EaseMyTrip
for the aforesaid acquisitions and along with considerations
to keep in mind while structuring such share-swap
acquisitions and why did SES oppose the resolutions.
EASEMYTRIP’s ACQUISITIONS
As per publicly reported information, EaseMyTrip
is planning the following acquisitions in 2025:
Pflege:
Pflege is a limited liability company registered
in Emirate of Dubai in accordance with the provisions
of U.A.E Commercial Companies Law No (2) of
2015 and Law No. (13) of 2011 and operating
under licenses issued by Department of Economy
and Tourism with Home Health Care Center and
Dubai Health Authority. Pflege is a pioneering
company engaged in medical tourism and actively
assists patients in Indian subcontinent, Turkey,
Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia.
Jeewani:
Jeewani is a private limited company incorporated
in India and engaged in the business of construction,
development and operation of hotels.
Planet:
Planet is an Australian company engaged in the
business of international student recruitment,
international student placement, coaching of
various entrance tests like IELTS, TOEFL, GMT,
GRE, SAT, etc. for international education.
Planet is also engaged in opening of educational
institutions for coaching of the aforementioned
tests, student accommodation services, overseas
student health insurance, education loan assistance,
student travel services and forex assistance
services.
S. No
|
Target
|
Documentation
|
Deal Structure
|
1
|
Pflege
|
Share Purchase Agreement and Investment Cum Shareholders’ Agreement dated December 6, 2024
|
EaseMyTrip is acquiring 49.03% shareholding of Pflege (i.e. 176 shares) through a mix of secondary acquisition and primary investment for a total of INR 29,83,05,000 (Indian Rupees Twenty-Nine Crores Eighty-Three Lakhs and Five Thousand).
A total of INR 19,83,05,000 (Indian Rupees Nineteen Crores Eighty-Three Lakhs and Five Thousand) will be paid through preferential allotment of its own shares to the shareholder, Mr. Bhisham Sheoran, who would in turn sell shares corresponding to 39% shareholding of Pflege to EaseMyTrip.
The remaining INR 10,00,00,000 (Indian Rupees Ten Crores) would be invested (through preferential allotment of EaseMyTrip shares) into Pflege as a primary investment, which would correspond to 10.03% shareholding of Pflege on a fully diluted basis.
(such acquisition by EaseMyTrip, the “Pflege Acquisition”).
|
2
|
Jeewani
|
Share Subscription Agreement and Shareholders’ Agreement dated December 6, 2024
|
EaseMyTrip is acquiring 50% of Jeewani for a total consideration of INR 100,00,00,000 (Indian Rupees One Hundred Crores) which shall be paid through preferential allotment of its own shares of EaseMyTrip.
The entire investment by EaseMyTrip in Jeewani will be in the form of primary investment into Jeewani. EaseMyTrip will be acquiring 90,00,00 (Ninety Lakh) fully paid-up equity shares of face value of INR 10 each of Jeewani.
(such acquisition by EaseMyTrip, the “Jeewani Acquisition”).
|
3 |
Planet
|
Share Purchase Agreement and Shareholders’ Agreement dated October 11, 2024
|
EaseMyTrip is acquiring 49.03% of Planet for a total consideration of INR 39,20,00,000 (Indian Rupees Thirty-Nine Crores and Twenty Lakhs), which shall be paid through preferential allotment of shares of EaseMyTrip.
The entire consideration will be provided to two selling shareholders of Planet: Sanket Champaklal Shah and Gagandeep Singh.
(such acquisition by EaseMyTrip, the “Planet Acquisition”).
|
Interestingly, EaseMyTrip’s primary motivation
to undertake each of the above acquisitions stems
from a desire to further diversify and inorganically
expand their existing business operations globally.
A structural representation of the Share Swaps
are as follows –
(i)
Pflege
Acquisition
(ii)
Jeewani
Acquisition
(iii)
Planet
Acquisition
IDENTIFYING THE UNDERLYING SHARE
SWAPS
Before we delve into the legal considerations
that may have been relevant to each of these acquisitions,
let us identify the underlying Share Swaps in each
of these deals –
1.
Pflege
Acquisition
The Pflege Acquisition can be broken down into
the following three legs:
Acquisition of 39% shareholding of Pflege by EaseMyTrip,
which is an overseas entity, from Mr. Bhisham Sheoran
(“ODI Secondary”),
Primary investment by EaseMyTrip into Pflege for
10.03% shareholding of Pflege (“ODI
Primary”), and
Payment of consideration by EaseMyTrip to Mr. Bhisham
Sheoran1 and Pflege in the form of allotment
of its own shares (“FDI Primary”).
Based on the above, the Pflege Acquisition has
two forms of Share Swaps: an
ODI Primary –
FDI Primary Share Swap and an
ODI Secondary –
FDI Primary Share Swap.
2.
Jeewani
Acquisition
The Jeewani Acquisition can be broken down into
the following two legs:
Acquisition of 50% shareholding of Jeewani, an Indian
company, by EaseMyTrip,
Payment of consideration to Jeewani in the form
of allotment of its own shares.
Based on the above, the Jeewani Acquisition has
one form of Share Swap:
Resident –
Resident Share Swap.
3.
Planet
Acquisition
The Planet Acquisition can be broken down into
the following two legs:
Acquisition of 49.03% shareholding of Planet by
EaseMyTrip, which is an overseas entity, from Mr.
Gagandeep Singh and Mr. Sanket Champaklal Shah (“Planet
ODI Secondary”),
Payment of consideration by EaseMyTrip Mr. Gagandeep
Singh and Mr. Sanket Champaklal Shah2
in the form of allotment of its own shares (“Planet
FDI Primary”).
Therefore, the Planet Acquisition has one form
of Share Swap: an
ODI Secondary –
FDI Primary Share Swap.
LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS APPLICABLE
TO SHARE SWAPS
Each of EaseMyTrip’s acquisitions constitute
differing forms of Share Swaps. Share Swaps must
meet a variety of requirements under major Indian
legislations such as merger control laws, tax laws,
foreign exchange control laws, company law, etc.
Further, given that each of these Share Swaps
include EaseMyTrip, which is a listed company, laws
governing listed securities enacted by the Securities
and Exchange Board of India (“SEBI”)
also get triggered.
Let us now delve into an assessment of the laws
typically applicable to Share Swaps, and how each
of them is being specifically triggered in EaseMyTrip’s
acquisitions.
1.
Foreign
exchange control considerations:
Share Swaps involving non-resident shareholders
and / or companies will have to be undertaken in
compliance with the Foreign Exchange Management
Act, 1999 (“FEMA”)
and the allied regime enacted thereunder.
FEMA
Compliances
-
Compliance with the NDI Rules:
As mentioned above, each of the Pflege Acquisition
and Planet Acquisition have FDI Primary as a step
in their swaps. The Jeewani Acquisition is a domestic
share swap; therefore, the NDI Rules will not be
applicable to the same. The NDI Rules, as per Rule
6(a) read with Schedule I allows an Indian company
to issue equity instruments to a person resident
outside India against swap of equity instruments.
As per the NDI Rules, foreign direct investment
(“FDI”) into Indian
companies can occur without prior approval of the
Indian government so long as the Indian company
falls in the “automatic route” under
Schedule I of the NDI Rules. Therefore, if the Indian
company falls under the automatic route, then a
share swap would not require government approval.
The Pflege Acquisition consisted of an FDI Primary
wherein EaseMyTrip allotted its own shares to non-residents.
Similarly, the Planet Acquisition also consisted
of the Planet FDI Primary involving allotment to
non-resident individual shareholders of Planet.
However, since investments into the tourism sector
fall under the 100% automatic route, these transactions
did not need to factor in a potential requirement
for the prior approval of the Indian government
under the NDI Rules.
Prior approval under the Press
Note No. 3 (2020 Series) (“PN3”):
In addition to the NDI Rules, the parties may
have also had to evaluate whether any prior approval
of the Indian government is required under the PN3.
As per the PN3, prior government approval is required
in case of any FDI from entities of countries that
share land-borders with India, or where the beneficial
owner of an investment into India is situated in
or is a citizen of such land-bordering countries.
PN3 was enacted in 2020 to curb opportunistic investments
from China and other land bordering countries.3
The PN3 consideration is relevant for the Pflege
Acquisition and Planet Acquisition, since both of
them involve FDI into EaseMyTrip (in lieu of the
Share Swap). Accordingly, in case any of the proposed
allottees of EaseMyTrip’s shares in these
transactions (i.e. Pflege, Jeewani, Planet, Mr.
Bhisham Sheoran, Mr. Gagandeep Singh and Mr. Sanket
Champaklal Shah) are resident in / have beneficial
owners that are situated in land-bordering countries,
such allotment would be subject to government approval
under the PN3. Basis the publicly available information,
neither of the acquirers of the shares of EaseMyTrip
are resident of/have beneficial owners that are
situated in land-bordering countries.
2.
Overseas
investment law considerations:
The Pflege Acquisition and Planet Acquisition
involves issuance / transfer of shares of an unlisted
foreign company (amounting to more than 10% shareholding)
to an Indian company. Considering that Pflege and
Planet are unlisted foreign companies, the acquisition
of shares by EaseMyTrip constitutes an “overseas
direct investment” (“ODI”)
under the Foreign Exchange Management (Overseas
Investment) Rules, 2022 (“OI Rules”).4
Rule 11 read with Schedule I of the OI Rules
clarifies the mechanisms through which ODI can be
undertaken by Indian entities, which under Para
2 (v) of Schedule I, permits ODI by way of a ‘swap
of securities’. Accordingly, the Pflege Acquisition
and Planet Acquisition constitute permissible modes
of undertaking ODI under the OI Rules.
However, ODI is subject to certain additional
factors that also need to be met, namely –
Net
worth criteria
Thetotal financial commitment made by an Indian
entity in all the foreign entities, taken together
at the time of undertaking such commitment, shall
not exceed 400 percent of its net worth as on the
date of the last audited balance sheet.5
The total consideration for the Pflege Acquisition
and Planet Acquisition is INR 69,03,05,000. As per
the audited financial statements of EaseMyTrip for
FY 23-24, the net worth of EaseMyTrip is INR 637,90,90,000.6
Further, while the exact amount of financial commitment
by EaseMyTrip in foreign entities is not available
as on the proposed date of consummation of the Pflege
Acquisition and Planet Acquisition, we note from
the audited financial statements for FY 23-24 that
EaseMyTrip has no foreign investments.7
Accordingly, since the proposed investment does
not exceed 400 percent of EaseMyTrip’s net
worth as on the date of the audited financial statements
for FY 23-24, the first requirement under the OI
Rules is met.
Financial
services criteria
AnIndian entity that is engaged in “financial
services” activities in India can make ODI
into a foreign entity engaged directly or indirectly
in financial services only if –
the Indian entity has posted net profits during
the preceding three financial years;
the Indian entity is registered with or regulated
by a financial services regulator in India;
the Indian entity has obtained approval as may be
required from the regulators of such financial services
activity, both in India and the host country or
host jurisdiction, as the case may be, for engaging
in such financial services:
However, if the Indian entity is not engaged
in “financial services” and seeks to
invest in a foreign entity which is directly or
indirectly engaged in “financial services”8
activities, the Indian entity should have posted
net profits during the preceding three financial
years.
In respect of the above, the following two-fold
determination is to be made to determine whether
the Pflege Acquisition and Planet Acquisition must
meet the aforementioned criteria –
Is EaseMyTrip (being the Indian entity) engaged
in “financial services” activities?
Are the foreign companies in which EaseMyTrip is
undertaking ODI (namely, Pflege and Planet) engaged
directly or indirectly in “financial services”
activities?
With respect to (i) above, it is to be noted
that as per the Business Responsibility & Sustainability
Report of EaseMyTrip for FY 23-24, the NIC Code
for activities contributing to 100% of the turnover
of EaseMyTrip is 7911 (Tour and Travel related services).
Accordingly, it can be stated that EaseMyTrip is
not engaged in financial services activities in
India.
On the other hand, based on the disclosures made
by EaseMyTrip to stock exchanges and publicly available
information, Pflege is a home health care provider
based in Dubai, which offers medical tourism services
through licensed doctors around the globe, along
with supporting services such as visa assistance
and airport drop and pickups.9 Separately,
Planet provides students with guidance through their
admission processes to universities in Australia,
with a range of services such as counseling, course
selection, coaching, visa applications, etc.10
Therefore, it is safe to assume that each of the
foreign target companies are also not involved directly
or indirectly in “financial services”
activities.
3.
SEBI considerations:
The issuance and allotment of specified securities11
by listed companies is governed by the Securities
and Exchange Board of India (Issue of Capital and
Disclosure Requirements) Regulations 2018 (“ICDR”).
ICDR is applicable to the present scenario since
EaseMyTrip is a listed company.
The preferential allotment of such securities,
for consideration other than cash, must comply with
the following requirements:
Approval through special resolution:
Any issuance of specified securities must be
approved by the shareholders of the listed company
by way of a special resolution.12
Accordingly, prior to effectuating the Pflege
Acquisition / Jeewani Acquisition / Planet Acquisition,
EaseMyTrip must receive the consent of 75% of its
shareholders through a special resolution.
Valuation requirements:
Another equally important consideration is the
valuation requirement that is prescribed under the
ICDR. Consideration other than cash, discharged
by way of a swap of shares, should be backed by
a valuation report issued by an independent registered
valuer and submitted to the stock exchanges where
the issuer is listed. However, the stock exchanges
have the ability to get the valuation done by another
valuer in case they are not satisfied with the appropriateness
of the valuation.13
Therefore, the Share Swaps occurring pursuant
to each of the aforementioned acquisitions are required
to be justified through a valuation report issued
in respect of these transactions.
Pricing guidelines:
The pricing guidelines under Regulation 164 of
the ICDR are to be followed for a preferential issue
in case the shares of the issuer company are “frequently
traded”. The shares of an issuer company are
considered to be “frequently traded”
in case the equity shares of the issuer have been
listed on a recognized stock exchange for a period
of 90 trading days or more as on the “relevant
date” (which, for the purposes of these acquisitions
would be the date thirty days prior to the date
on which the meeting of shareholders is held to
consider the proposed preferential issue14).
Considering that EaseMyTrip’s shares are “frequently
traded”, the price of the equity shares to
be allotted must not be the higher of:
-
90 days’ volume
weighted average price of related equity shares
quoted on the recognized stock exchange preceding
the relevant date, or
-
10 trading days’
volume weighted average prices of related equity
shares quoted on a recognized stock exchange,
preceding the relevant date,15
unless the method of determination specified
in the articles of association provide a higher
floor price than the one that may be arrived at
using the aforementioned methods of calculation.
Other requirements for conducting preferential
issue:
Regulation 160 of the ICDR specified certain
other requirements that are also to be met prior
to conducting a preferential issuance, such as –
The securities being
issued must be fully paid-up;
Equity shares held
by proposed allottees in the issuer, if any,
are in dematerialized form;
An in-principle application
has been made to the stock exchange on the day
that a notice for the shareholders’ meeting
has been sent to the shareholders.
Pursuant to the valuation requirements set out
above, EaseMyTrip procured a valuation report from
Samarth Valuation Advisory LLP, a registered valuer,
for issuing a pricing certificate under the ICDR
(“Pricing Certificate”).
The Pricing Certificate: (i) assessed the fair value
of the equity shares as per internationally accepted
valuation standards of the Institute of Chartered
Accountants of India as on September 30, 2024; and
(ii) determined the floor price of shares as per
Chapter V of the ICDR on December 6, 2024. The Pricing
Certificate computed the fair value of shares to
be INR 16.66 and the floor price (as per the ICDR)
to be INR 18.22 per equity share.
Relying on the above, EaseMyTrip’s proposed
issue price towards the allottees pursuant to the
Pflege Acquisition, Jeewani Acquisition and Planet
Acquisition was INR 18.22 per share.
4.
Merger
control considerations:
Under the regime set out pursuant to the Competition
Act, 2002 (“Competition Act”),
transactions amounting to “combinations”
are notifiable (i.e. subject to the prior approval
of the Competition Commission of India (“CCI”))
if they cross the thresholds set out in Section
5 of the Competition Act.
That being said, under the Competition (Minimum
Value of Assets and Turnover) Rules, 2024, combinations
are exempt from mandatory prior notification to
the CCI if the target entity’s consolidated
assets or turnover, as per its latest audited financial
statements, fall below either of the following thresholds:
(i) assets of less than INR 450 crore (Indian Rupees
Four Hundred and Fifty Crores) in India; or (ii)
turnover of less than INR 1,250 crore (Indian Rupees
One Thousand Two Hundred and Fifty Crores) in India
(the “De Minimis Exemption”).
Interestingly, from September 10, 2024, the merger
control regime was overhauled and in addition to
the thresholds set out in Section 5 of the Competition
Act, the Competition Commission of India (Combination)
Regulations, 2024 (“Combination Regulations”)
were introduced, which brought in deal value threshold
(“DVT”). DVT is an
additional mechanism against which transactions
are required to assess the requirement of mandatory
notification to the CCI (over and above the Section
5 thresholds). As per the DVT, the following transactions
are notifiable (irrespective of the availability
of the De Minimis Exemption): (i) the value of the
transaction is INR 2,000 crores (i.e. approximately
USD 231 million) or more (“Value Test”);
and (ii) the target has “substantial business
operations” in India, each as per the manner
set out in the Combination Regulations.
A transaction would be exempt from notification
under the DVT only if it is able to avail any of
the exemptions set out under the Competition (Criteria
for Exemptions of Combinations) Rules 2024 (“General
Exemptions”).
Accordingly, any combination which either breaches
the thresholds under Section 5 or triggers the DVT
would be required to be mandatorily notified to
the CCI, unless such combination can either avail
the De Minimis Exemption (only in case the notifiability
is due to breach of thresholds under Section 5)
or the General Exemptions (in case the notifiability
is due to breach of thresholds under Section 5 or
trigger of DVT).
The proposed issuance of shares to the allottees
pursuant to each of the Pflege Acquisition, Jeewani
Acquisition and Planet Acquisition cumulatively
amounts to approximately INR 234,00,00,000 (Indian
Rupees Two Hundred Thirty Four Crores). Accordingly,
neither of these transactions (either individually
or when interconnected) cross the Value Test and
trigger the DVT.
Further, as per the audited financial statements
of EaseMyTrip for FY 23-24, the consolidated assets
amount to INR 893,61,30,000 (Indian Rupees Eight
Hundred Ninety Three Crore Sixty One Lakh Thirty
Thousand) and the consolidated turnover is INR 609,08,10,000
(Indian Rupees Six Hundred Nine Crore Eight Lakh
Ten Thousand).16 Accordingly, EaseMyTrip
will be able to avail the De Minimis Exemption for
each of the Pflege Acquisition, Jeewani Acquisition
and Planet Acquisition.
5.
Tax considerations:
Pflege Acquisition: For the purposes
of the ODI Secondary as part of the Pflege Acquisition,
the shareholder Mr. Brishram Sheoran will be taxable
as per the tax laws of his jurisdiction of residence
for the gains derived by him as part of the Acquisition.
Jeewani Acquisition: Given that the
entire Jeewani Acquisition is structure as a primary
swap, there shall be no taxable event at the time
of Share Swap of Jeewani Acquisition.
Planet Acquisition: For the purposes
of Planet ODI Secondary as part of the Planet Acquisition,
the gains derived by Mr. Gagandeep Singh and Mr.
Sanket Champaklal Shah as part of the sale of the
shares held by them in Planet will be taxable as
per the tax laws of his jurisdiction of residence.
6.
Company
law considerations:
Under the Companies Act, 2013 (“Companies
Act”) read with ancillary
regulations, the power of further issuance of share
capital stems from Section 42 read with Section
62. Section 62 (1) (c) specifically deals with the
issuance of securities for consideration other than
cash. The critical requirements to be met for non-cash
share swaps under the Companies Act are as follows –
Approval through special resolution:
Similar to the ICDR, the issuance must be approved
by the shareholders through a special resolution.
Valuation requirements:
The price of the shares must be determined by
a valuation report issued by an independent valuer,17
as evidenced by the Pricing Certificate.
Are
Pflege, Planet and Jeewani a “subsidiary company”
of EaseMyTrip under the Companies Act?
As set out above, pursuant to the Share Swaps,
EaseMyTrip intends to acquire nearly half of the
total shareholding in Pflege, Planet and Jeewani.
An interesting consideration that therefore emerges
is as to whether these companies are its subsidiaries
under the Companies Act, and if not, whether there
is any reason why?
Under Section 2(87) of the Companies Act, a company
becomes a “subsidiary company” if either
of the following conditions are met: (i) the holding
company controls the composition of the board of
directors; or (ii) the holding company exercises
/ controls more than half of the total voting power,
either by itself or through one or more subsidiary
companies.
As per the disclosure made by EaseMyTrip on the
stock exchanges on December 7, 2024, it appears
that there is no board seat that is being acquired
on the board of any of the three companies. Thus,
part (i) of the definition of “subsidiary
company” does not apply. Further, EaseMyTrip
is not acquiring more than 50% shareholding in any
of the companies. Since this leads to a situation
where it cannot exercise “more than half
of the total voting power” in these companies,
part (ii) of the definition is also not met. Accordingly,
Pflege, Planet and Jeewani are not subsidiary companies
of EaseMyTrip.
However, the question still remains – would
this have been a deliberate move?
Looks like at-least for Jeewani it would be.
According to Section 19 of the Companies Act, a
subsidiary company
cannot
hold any shares in its holding company except
in the case where such subsidiary company holds
the shares of its holding company (a) as the legal
representative of a deceased member of the holding
company or (b) as a trustee or (c) even before it
became a subsidiary company of the holding company.
Further, holding companies are restricted from allotting
or transferring their shares to any of its subsidiary
companies.
If EaseMyTrip would have acquired more than half
of the total voting power in Jeewani, this company
would have become a “subsidiary company”
of EaseMyTrip under the Companies Act and the share
swap would not be possible because of the restriction
set out in Section 19 of the Companies Act. Thus,
it is possible that the total shareholding acquired
in Jeewani pursuant to the Share Swap was decided
keeping this consideration in mind.
SES’ RECOMMENDATIONS AGAINST
THE SHARE SWAPS
As mentioned above, under Regulation 160 of the
ICDR, preferential issuances by listed companies
are required to be approved by a special resolution
of the shareholders. Institutional and retail shareholders
alike often place reliance on the reports and recommendations
of proxy advisors to understand the implications
of such corporate actions.
In this regard, on January 07, 2025, SES released
a report with its recommendations to shareholders
in respect of the proposed preferential allotment
of shares of EaseMyTrip (which included the issuances
pursuant to the Pflege Acquisition, Jeewani Acquisition
and Planet Acquisition).
The agenda being proposed by EaseMyTrip was seeking
shareholders’ approval towards primary issuances
of equity shares of EaseMyTrip to each of Pflege,
Jeewani, Planet, Mr. Bhisham Sheoran, Mr. Gagandeep
Singh, and Mr. Sanket Champaklal Shah, on a non-cash
basis (collectively, the “Non-Cash
Allotment”). Along with these issuances,
they had also sought shareholders’ approval
for allotment of equity shares to Ms. Jacqueline
Genevieve Fernandes on a cash basis (the “Cash
Allotment”). Each of these are non-promoter
individuals.
The total size of issue was 12,84,47,034 (Twelve
Crore Eighty Four Lakh Forty Seven Thousand Thirty
Four) fully paid-up equity shares having a face
value of INR 1 each, at an issue price of INR 18.22
per share that collectively took the issue size
to approximately INR 234,00,00,000 (Indian Rupees
Two Hundred Thirty Four Crores).
Broadly, the proxy advisor had two major observations
whilst analyzing the aforesaid transaction:
The potential dilution in EaseMyTrip would cumulatively
amount to 3.49% (with the Cash Allotment constituting
a mere 0.07% dilution of the existing shareholders’
shareholding); and
Although the valuation report obtained for the Non-Cash
Allotment and Cash Allotment refers to the consideration
of a “fair equity share swap ratio”
it only provides a price determination for EaseMyTrip’s
shares and does not separately account for the valuation
/ information of Pflege, Jeewani, or Planet.
Non-Cash Allotment
SES referred to Rule 13(2)(d) of the Companies
(Share Capital and Debentures) Rules, 2014 and Rule
163(3) of the ICDR to note that in case of the allotment
of securities for consideration other than cash,
a justification of the valuation must be provided
pursuant to a “valuation report”
from a registered valuer.
The proxy advisor had the following specific
observations in relation to the valuation report –
They referred to the language set out in the aforesaid
regulations and noted that considering that the
Non-Cash Allotment involves an underlying transaction
of a share swap, the valuation report of the target
companies should also be provided to the shareholders.
Further, since the valuation report of Pflege, Jeewani
and Planet were not provided, SES referred to the
last year revenue information of these companies
to note that the stakes being acquired were significantly
lesser than the consideration being paid to the
shareholders of Planet, Jeewani and Pflege through
the share swap.
Accordingly, SES was of the view that the valuation
was not providing shareholders with a clear picture
to gauge the value of the consolidated proposed
acquisitions, making the valuation unfair and non-transparent.
Further, they noted that the proposed dilution of
shareholding in EaseMyTrip was also not adequately
justified due to the above factors.
Thus, they recommended voting against the Non-Cash
Allotment on account of a “compliance concern”.
Cash Allotment
With respect to the Cash Allotment, SES noted
that since the shares were being issued in lieu
of cash, the aforementioned concerns with respect
to valuation would not arise (as there is no involvement
of the target companies in this transaction). Additionally,
the cumulative dilution as a result of the Cash
Allotment was noted to be insignificant.
Therefore, no concerns were raised with respect
to the Cash Allotment.
CONCLUSION
The EaseMyTrip Share Swaps highlight the growing
role of non-cash structures in corporate expansion.
While the deals align with EaseMyTrip’s vision
for diversification and inorganic growth, the complex
regulatory landscape surrounding foreign exchange
laws, SEBI regulations, tax implications, and merger
control adds layers of compliance, which will have
to be borne in mind by dealmakers across the industry
at the time of structuring similar Share Swaps.
In addition to a complex array of laws that need
to be navigated whilst structuring Share Swaps,
specifically in the case of listed companies, dealmakers
will also have to be wary of other stakeholders
such as proxy advisory firms and ensure that factors
such as valuation transparency and shareholder dilution
concerns are adequately resolved to ensure greater
disclosure and justification in share swap transactions.
Authors
-
Anurag Shah,
Parina Muchhala and
Nishchal Joshipura
You can direct your queries or comments to the relevant member.
1Based on the assumption that Mr.
Bhisham Sheoran will be a non-resident under the
Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999.
2Based on the assumption that Mr.
Gagandeep Singh and Mr. Sanket Champaklal Shah will
be non-residents under the Foreign Exchange Management
Act, 1999. It appears that they are both based currently
in Australia, as available at:
https://www.planeteducation.info/our-team.
3Available at:
https://dpiit.gov.in/sites/default/files/pn3_2020.pdf.
4As per the OI Rules, “Overseas
Direct Investment” or “ODI”
means
investment by way of acquisition of unlisted equity
capital of a foreign entity, or
subscription as a part of the memorandum of association
of a foreign entity, or investment in ten per cent,
or more of the paid-up equity capital of a listed
foreign entity or investment with control where
investment is less than ten per cent. of the paid-up
equity capital of a listed foreign entity.
5Para 3 (1), Schedule I of the OI
Rules.
6https://www.bseindia.com/xml-data/corpfiling/AttachHis/021a2e21-36c8-4236-b44d-b60647883660.pdf.
7Please refer to “Note No. 10”
of the “Notes to Accounts” of the Consolidated
Financial Statements of EaseMyTrip for FY 23-24.
8As per Schedule I, a foreign entity
shall be considered to be engaged in the business
of financial services activity if it undertakes
an activity, which if carried out by an entity in
India, requires registration with or is regulated
by a financial sector regulator in India.
9https://pflegehealthcare.com/about-us.
10https://www.planeteducation.info/international-education.
11Under the ICDR, “specified
securities” means equity shares and convertible
securities.
12Regulation 160 (b), ICDR.
13Regulation 163 (3), ICDR.
14Regulation 161 a), ICDR.
15Regulation 164 (1), ICDR.
16https://www.bseindia.com/xml-data/corpfiling/AttachHis/021a2e21-36c8-4236-b44d-b60647883660.pdf.
17Section 62 (1) (c), Companies Act.
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