Fairfax India increases its stake in IIFL Capital to 38% with investments of 200 billion rupees

The shareholder Sammaan Capital, company Avenir Investment RSC Ltd, has increased its stake in the company to 33.32%, up from the previous 28.34%. This occurred after warrants worth approximately 906 crore rupees were converted into common shares, according to regulatory filings submitted on Friday.

The company's Securities and Investment Committee approved the allocation of 8.69 crore fully paid ordinary shares of Avenir at an issue price of 139 rupees per share on October 30. This decision was made after payment of the remaining 75 percent of the subscription amount for the warrants.

Previously, the shareholder was allocated 8.69 crore warrants dated March 31, 2026, as part of a preferential placement based on private placement. Each warrant granted the right to purchase one fully paid ordinary share with a nominal value of 2 rupees.

Following the completion of the conversion, Avenir continues to hold 21.98 crore warrants, which can be exercised in one or more tranches until or by September 30, 2027. In the event of full conversion of all remaining warrants and no other changes to the company's share capital, the shareholder's stake will increase to 43.28 percent.

This distribution increased Sammaan Capital's paid-up share capital by approximately 2,498.89 crore rupees. This capital includes 124.84 crore fully paid ordinary shares and 30.13 lakh partially paid ordinary shares.

The new shares will have equal rights to existing company shares and will be listed on the BSE and National Stock Exchange subject to applicable laws.

Aditya Birla Capital reported a significant increase in consolidated net profit of 38% year-on-year, reaching 1,288 crore rupees for the quarter from July to September of the fiscal year 2026-27 (Q2FY27). This growth is attributed to the active development of the lending business, with higher revenues demonstrated by both the non-banking financial institution (NBFC) division and the housing finance division.

For the reporting quarter, the revenue of the financial company's consolidated segment increased by 31% year-on-year, amounting to 16,545 crore rupees. Specifically, the lending business, excluding housing finance, recorded a profit growth of 41% to 1,008 crore rupees, while Aditya Birla Housing Finance showed an increase of 73% to 335 crore rupees.

The Assets Under Management (AUM) of the NBFC grew by 26.5% year-on-year, reaching 1.77 trillion rupees as of the end of September. Meanwhile, net interest income, including commission receipts, increased by 24.7%, totaling 2,488 crore rupees.

Growth was observed across all segments of the loan portfolio. Business loans increased by 30% year-on-year to 1.01 trillion rupees, while consumer and personal loans grew by 37% to 24,955 crore rupees. Corporate and medium-term loans increased by 15% to 50,483 crore rupees.

The total volume of loans disbursed by the NBFC in Q2FY27 rose by 12% year-on-year to 24,708 crore rupees. Disbursement in the secured business loan segment increased by 22% to 9,737 crore rupees, and disbursement of personal and consumer loans grew by 18% to 5,877 crore rupees.

Furthermore, the NBFC improved its metrics for Stage 2 and Stage 3 assets, which stood at 2.31% (an improvement of 72 basis points year-on-year and 12 basis points sequentially). Return on assets was 2.45%.

Aditya Birla Housing Finance also demonstrated strong growth: profit increased by 73% year-on-year to 335 crore rupees. Its AUM grew by 50% to 57,373 crore rupees, and return on assets was 2.12%. Metrics for Stage 2 and Stage 3 assets improved by 45 basis points year-on-year, reaching 0.65%.

Among other areas, life insurance increased profit by 27% to 85 crore rupees. The company's presentation contains discrepancies regarding the individual first-year premium: the detailed table indicates 1,729 crore rupees for Q2FY27 versus 1,173 crore rupees the previous year, whereas the summary report states the first half-year premium at 2,342 crore rupees, which is 25% higher compared to last year. These figures require verification with the company before publication. For the first half of the year, the total gross premium reached 12,656 crore rupees compared to 8,941 crore rupees in the same period last year.

In asset management business, profit after tax was 221 crore rupees in Q2FY27, a decrease of 8% year-on-year. Average assets under management in the country grew by 4% quarter-on-quarter year-on-year, and average equity market assets under management grew by 9%.

Profit from medical insurance fell by 74% year-on-year, amounting to 27 crore rupees compared to 105 crore rupees in the quarter a year ago. For the first half of FY27, the business reported a gross insurance premium of 4,543 crore rupees, which is 48% higher year-on-year. The combined operating ratio for the first half of FY27 was 106.5%, compared to 103.1% the previous year.

The company's consolidated profit after tax for the first half of FY27 reached 2,462 crore rupees, exceeding 1,772 crore rupees for the corresponding period last year.

Live2.ai, a Bangalore-based company that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to connect social media analytics with marketing and commerce, has successfully raised 130 crore rupees (14 million US dollars) in a pre-Series B funding round. The venture firm IvyCap Ventures led this round.

The attracted capital will be used for several purposes: developing the AI agent-based platform, increasing corporate implementations, strengthening cloud infrastructure in North America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region, as well as hiring engineers, data scientists, and customer-facing staff.

Jay Venkat, co-founder and CEO of Live2.ai, noted that modern brands are facing an overload of signals but lack action. He added that this funding will help unify detection, decision-making, and activation into a single managed workflow for global enterprise clients.

The company's platform tracks discussions on platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Reddit, X, and various review sites. It integrates trend analysis, influencer content auditing, campaign publishing, and results measurement. Furthermore, the platform converts content approved for commercial use into purchasable opportunities on websites, in retail stores, in CRM systems, and on online marketplaces.

The investment reflects a broader shift in how brands approach using social media to understand consumer behavior and drive sales. Vikram Gupta, founder and managing partner of IvyCap Ventures, stated that social media has become a key channel for consumers to discover, evaluate, and purchase goods, yet brands still rely on fragmented and manual tools to analyze this information and take action.

He emphasized that Live2.ai is creating an AI-powered operating system to transform real-time cultural signals into commercial transactions while ensuring the security and governance required by global brands. Neha Suyal, co-founder and COO, added that the main task is converting the gathered analytical information into timely and measurable actions at scale.

Live2.ai serves over 200 brands in the United States, Europe, and Southeast Asia, including Schwarzkopf from Henkel, Titan Brands, and Shiseido. According to the company, revenue has quadrupled in the last 12 months, with 90% of income generated outside of India.

This investment comes amid the growth of funding for Indian AI businesses. Recent rounds include a 40 crore rupee Series A raise by Navana.ai in September and a $10 million pre-Series B round by Kapture in June.

Policy is also evolving in parallel with the industry. The IndiaAI government mission provides for the allocation of 10,371.92 crore rupees over a five-year period for developing computing infrastructure, supporting domestic AI capabilities, and promoting responsible adoption. Additionally, guidelines released this February offer national institutions to coordinate AI policy and ensure safety. Separately, consumer guidance requires clear disclosure of paid or barter endorsements from influencers.