SBI statement on proposed Yes Bank bailout is far from reassuring

Before the Reserve Bank of India put in a limit of ₹50,o00 on withdrawals by depositors in Yes Bank, the shares of the private bank zoomed nearly 27% on March 5 on source-based reports that the government has asked the State Bank of India (SBI) to lead a consortium to buy stake in Yes Bank.


However, the midnight statement from SBI, the country's largest bank, was far more non-committal than what investors of Yes Bank would hope for.

SBI and the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) will acquire shares at ₹2 per share. The two state-run companies will acquire 49% stake for a total of ₹490 crore, the Economic Times reported citing sources. However, SBI seems to be approaching Yes Bank with more than adequate caution.

"No such negotiations/events took place. However, the matter in regard to Yes Bank was discussed at the meeting of the Central Board of the Bank on March 5 and an in-principle approval has been given by the Board to explore investment opportunity in the Bank," the SBI response to the exchanges said.


In essence, SBI is saying that it will explore the possibility of investing in Yes Bank but it is no way a certainty. This is yet another example of how investors, particularly the small investors, have been trapped buying shares of Yes Bank based on rumours.

Between June and September 2019, the public stake in Yes Bank has more than doubled as people bought the bank's shares hoping to make a quick buck while the big investors including institutions offloaded their stake in the bank that was slowly sinking into an abyss.

Global brokerage JP Morgan reportedly said that the bailout will come at a large cut for equity holders. "We believe forced bailout investors will likely want the bank to be acquired at near zero value to account for risks associated with the stress book and likely loss of deposits (Q3 financials have still not been disclosed)," it said, according to an IANS report.

Aside from this, people who have money deposited in Yes Bank accounts found themselves stuck as some ATMS, and even net banking including the mobile app did not function soon after the RBI announced the moratorium.

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