Blackstone has been in discussions with Fairfax and other IIFL Finance investors about buying a stake, according to people familiar with the talks. As it moves closer to an IDBI Bank acquisition, Fairfax is weighing a full divestment of IIFL Finance to comply with regulatory norms; those IIFL deliberations remain preliminary and may shift. Blackstone declined to comment, while Fairfax and IIFL Finance did not immediately reply to emailed questions.
Fairfax's IIFL Finance stake was 15.2% as of June 30, based on Bloomberg data, and IIFL's market value is about $2.9 billion. On Monday in Mumbai, the shares flipped from gains of up to 2.4% to trade 1.2% lower in late afternoon action. Appetite for Indian finance deals has been strong. Last year Blackstone put more than $700 million into a 9.9% slice of Federal Bank.
Fairfax, led by Indian-born Canadian billionaire Prem Watsa, has been readying a richer offer for 60.7% of IDBI Bank, and people have said Indian authorities are nearing approval. At current prices, a successful offer would be valued around $6.2 billion and could rank as the largest foreign investment in India's banking sector. If the IDBI deal happens, people familiar expect Fairfax to combine parts of its Indian lending holdings to fit regulatory rules.
Fairfax also owns 40% of CSB Bank. In May, the India arm committed to boosting its shareholding to secure majority control of IIFL Capital Services, a capital markets and wealth firm, and it intends to place IIFL Capital under a wholly owned subsidiary once IDBI Bank is acquired. Reuters reported in June that the India arm of Fairfax had moved funds into India in the run-up to the potential IDBI deal.
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India's lenders and shadow banks are attracting suitors as more household savings move into formal investments, credit growth stays firm, and digital infrastructure makes scaling easier, even if rules add complexity. If Fairfax unloads its IIFL Finance stake to clear the way for IDBI and firms like Blackstone step in, ownership could shuffle across multiple names. That kind of rotation can nudge prices and redirect growth capital across India's banking and nonbank finance landscape.
