The board of Max India has approved the sale of its 51% stake in Max Bupa Health Insurance to the private equity firm True North. The all cash transaction values Max Bupa at an enterprise value of Rs. 1,001 crore and is subject to requisite regulatory approvals, said a press release issued by the company.
Bupa, the existing joint venture partner in Max Bupa will continue to play an active role in the company.
True North (formerly known as India Value Fund Advisors) is an active investor in Indian assets, having invested in more than 40 Indian businesses over the last 19 years through its 6 investment funds with a combined corpus of over US$ 2.8 billion. Over the years, True North has made productive investments across the financial services and healthcare sector to the tune of Rs 5,700 crore.
Analjit Singh, Founder & Chairman, Max Group, said, “We are rebalancing our portfolio of businesses with a much sharper focus on growing shareholder value and this transaction is a step towards that journey.”
Divya Sehgal, Partner, True North said, “As the health insurance sector grows in India, True North is looking to build the most trusted brand in health insurance in the country. We believe Max Bupa is one of the best positioned brands and businesses in the sector.”
KPMG Corporate Finance acted as lead financial advisor to Max India in this bilateral transaction with True North. AZB & Partners and Khaitan & Co. acted as legal advisors to Max India and True North respectively.
The transaction is subject to execution of definitive agreements and approval from shareholders of Max India apart from regulatory bodies and is expected to be completed within FY 2020. The process of conclusion of Max Bupa’s divestment will run in parallel and independent of the recently announced composite transaction involving demerger of Max India and the merger of Max Healthcare with Radiant-KKR.