SEBI floats guidelines to list SMEs on bourses sans IPO

25 Oct 2013 Evaluate

Market regulator SEBI has floated detailed guidelines for listing of start-ups and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) on bourses without an initial public offer (IPO). The guidelines come on the heels of notification of new norms by the market regulator earlier this month for permitting listing of start-ups and SMEs through Institutional Trading Platform (ITP) of exchanges.

As per the new guidelines, a company would be eligible for such listing if it has not completed a period of more than 10 years after incorporation and the revenues have not exceeded Rs 100 crore in any of the previous financial years, among others. Further, guidelines mandate company to have an investment of at least Rs 50 lakh, by an alternative investment fund, or a venture capital fund, or by a merchant banker, or an angel investor, or a specialized international multilateral agency, or a public financial institution, among other such investors, to be listed through ITP. 

Moreover, the guidelines require promoters of the company to hold not less than 20% of the post listing capital, which shall be locked for a period of three years. Further, while the company listed on the ITP shall not make an IPO, it would be allowed to raise funds through the rights issue or private placement route.

However, SME would be required to exit the ITP within 18 months if it achieves any of the following milestones -has been listed on the platform for a period of 10 years; has paid-up capital of more than Rs 25 crore; has revenues of more than Rs 300 crore in the last audited financial statement or market capitalisation of Rs 500 crore.

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