MobiKwik, a unicorn fintech business with its headquarters in Delhi NCR, is preparing to go public with an IPO for Rs 700 crore after receiving approval from SEBI. This move, which is a component of MobiKwik’s plan to expand its financial services and payments business, could be very important for both the company and the fintech sector as a whole. This is an overview of the potential outcomes.
Credits: Entrackr
Strategic Focus: Strengthening Financial Services and Payments
The only offering that will be part of MobiKwik’s initial public offering (IPO) is new equity shares; an offer for sale (OFS) will not be included. The company’s core operations will receive a substantial portion of the monies generated. More specifically, the company intends to invest Rs 250 crore to expand its financial services division and Rs 135 crore to strengthen its payments business. This focus aligns with MobiKwik’s long-term strategy to enhance merchant and consumer offerings to fortify its standing within the fintech sector.
MobiKwik hopes to draw in more clients and diversify its revenue stream by expanding its financial offerings. This covers products and services like credit facilities, buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) deals, and digital loans. Furthermore, the development of its payment infrastructure can strengthen its position in the competitive payments space, where it faces competition from giants like Paytm, PhonePe, and Google Pay.
Capital for Innovation: A Push Towards AI and Machine Learning
MobiKwik’s investment in product development, machine learning (ML), and artificial intelligence (AI) is a key component of their IPO strategy. The company intends to use data-driven insights to deliver more individualized financial products and enhance the consumer experience, and has set aside Rs 135 crore for these initiatives.
MobiKwik aims to create predictive models that are more skilled at identifying the needs and preferences of customers by integrating AI and ML into its offerings. This action could enhance the company’s ability to manage risk, especially in the loan industry, and expedite its payment and transaction procedures. This investment might make MobiKwik a more formidable and technologically savvy competitor in the space at a time when artificial intelligence is fast becoming a crucial component of the fintech revolution.
Credits: ET Telecom
MobiKwik’s Path to IPO: Lessons from Paytm
MobiKwik’s decision to reduce the size of its IPO—down from Rs 1,900 crore in 2021 to Rs 700 crore in 2024—is seen as a strategic response to the market conditions and lessons from its competitors. Paytm’s highly anticipated IPO in 2021 resulted in a post-IPO share price crash, largely attributed to overvaluation concerns. MobiKwik seems to be keenly aware of this and has opted for a more conservative approach.
The absence of an offer for sale (OFS) component in MobiKwik’s IPO is also a notable move. Unlike Paytm, which included an OFS as part of its public issue, MobiKwik is focusing on fresh capital to fuel its expansion, rather than providing early investors a chance to cash out. This signals the company’s confidence in its future growth prospects and reduces the risk of shareholder dilution, which has been a challenge for other high-profile IPOs.
Future Prospects: A Cautious yet Bold Move
MobiKwik’s IPO comes at a critical time for the fintech sector, as companies navigate market volatility, regulatory pressures, and increasing competition. The company’s profitability, focus on innovation, and strategic capital allocation make this IPO one to watch closely.
As of September 2023, MobiKwik had 3.81 million merchants and 146.94 million registered users, demonstrating its obvious capacity to grow the platform. Now, the question is whether its more measured approach will be well received by the public markets. If this IPO is a success, it may serve as a model for other fintech companies hoping to go public in a more difficult climate.
In conclusion, MobiKwik’s Rs 700 crore IPO illustrates a change in the strategy used by Indian fintech startups to approach public markets: less emphasis is placed on fanfare and more on long-term growth. The company’s success or failure as it starts this new chapter will probably have an effect on the entire industry.
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