Bharti in Talks with SBI Life, Others to Sell Insurance Biz

Bharti’s Stake Sale in Bharti AXA Life Insurance: Implications for Investors

Source and Citation: News article published by Economic Times on January 23, 2024

Analysis for Layman

Bharti AXA Life Insurance is a joint venture between the Indian telecom giant Bharti Group and the French insurance firm AXA. Initially, Bharti held a 74% stake, while AXA held a 26% stake in this life insurance company.

However, in October 2023, Bharti acquired AXA’s 26% portion to become the sole owner, holding 100% of the stake. Now, Bharti is looking to exit the life insurance sector entirely to focus on its core telecom business, Airtel. It has entered advanced talks with insurance companies like SBI Life to sell its entire stake in Bharti AXA Life. In 2020, Bharti had also sold its stake in another insurance joint venture, Bharti AXA General Insurance, to ICICI Lombard.

If the discussions are successful, buyers like SBI Life will gain access to a nationwide distribution bancassurance channel and over 3 million customers from the Bharti AXA Life purchase.

Impact on Retail Investors

For minority investors, two key implications arise:

• Bharti is likely to use the funds from the stake sale to fund its 5G expansion plans, aiming to maintain a competitive edge against Jio and Vodafone. Hence, it’s crucial to focus on the positives in Bharti’s core business.
• However, the telecom sector still offers substantial growth opportunities in India. The question arises whether Bharti should retain a presence in the broader financial services ecosystem through insurance. Insurance penetration in India remains low, and once dominant players emerge, scale benefits are likely to accrue given the country’s demographics. Therefore, valuations seem reasonable for a long-term buy-and-hold strategy.

Bharti could have potentially attracted a global insurance major like Prudential looking to expand its presence in India. Nonetheless, investors should monitor how the proceeds from the sale are utilized.

Impact on Industries

Several industries are affected by this development:

• Telecom: The infusion of funds allows Bharti Airtel to compete aggressively in the 5G spectrum and subscriber addition.
• Insurance: The buyer insurance firm gains a strong bancassurance channel and customer access, aiding its growth.
• Tower Infrastructure: Bharti Infratel may benefit if Bharti invests the sale proceeds into 5G gear supplies and tower upgrades.

The details of the final deal and the deployment of funds by Bharti need to be closely tracked to identify indirect beneficiaries beyond the insurance sector consolidation.

Long Term Benefits & Negatives

Positives:

• Allows Bharti to focus entirely on next-generation 5G and FTTH (Fiber to the Home) services that are globally competitive.
• The buyer insurance firm gains a robust bancassurance channel and customer access, aiding its growth.
• Increased management bandwidth at Bharti to concentrate more on technology and content tie-ups.

Negatives:

• Telecom growth may still not fully compensate for the loss of share in an underpenetrated insurance growth market.
• Synergies, such as cross-selling insurance products to Airtel’s customer base, may be lost.
• Will freeing up capital stretch Bharti competitively, especially against cash-rich competitors like Jio and Vodafone?

While there are positives on both ends, Bharti is giving up an option to participate in India’s broader financial services growth story with its trusted brand.

Short Term Benefits & Negatives

In the short term, the sale offers some clear advantages:

• Removes uncertainty overhang after multiple failed past attempts to sell the stake.
• A sharp rally in Bharti’s and the buyer’s stock is expected once the deal finalization announcement comes.

However, the deal also has some imminent pitfalls:

• Prolonged deal negotiations may lead to executive distractions from Bharti’s core telecom business.
• Key talent may jump ship if they sense that the management lacks long-term commitment.

Until greater clarity emerges on the exact contours of the deal, minority investors should prepare for a volatile ride while tracking every development twist in the deal.