The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has proposed to mandate the publication of offer document summary and rationalise disclosures in the document to improve information accessibility, according to a consultation paper.
The regulator proposed making the offer document summary available separately from the draft offer document and post it on the websites of the issuer, SEBI, the stock exchanges and those of the lead managers. While mandating the availability of the summary, it also proposed dispensing with the requirement of an abridged prospectus.
“The voluminous nature of the offer document may deter retail investors from reviewing such documents, thereby leading to lack of engagement and participation in the IPO process, including providing comments on the disclosures,” SEBI said.
In the same consultation paper, SEBI also proposed to introduce an enabling framework to address the issue of lock-in of pledged shares held by persons other than the promoters, as this can ease public offers while “safeguarding the interest of lenders.”