Vijay Shekhar Sharma, the Founder and CEO of Paytm, has recently come under scrutiny by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) for alleged misrepresentation of facts during the company’s IPO in November 2021. This has led to a decline in Paytm’s shares and raised questions about Sharma’s role within the company.
According to reports, SEBI has issued show-cause notices to Sharma and former board members of One 97 Communications Ltd, Paytm’s parent company, over the alleged misrepresentation of facts during the IPO. The regulator has also raised concerns about non-compliance with promoter classification norms.
One of the key issues highlighted in the reports is that Sharma seems to enjoy the rights of a promoter without the responsibilities and restrictions that come with that title. This has raised questions about his stake in the parent firm and the employee stock options granted to him by the company prior to the IPO.
Institutional Investor Advisory Services Ltd raised concerns about Sharma’s stake in the company and the ESOPs granted to him in a blog post in 2023. The latest SEBI notice may further complicate matters for Paytm, especially in terms of getting its payment aggregator license reinstated.
Despite being the founder and CEO of One97 Communications Ltd, Sharma is not classified as a promoter according to stock exchange disclosures. As a non-retiring director, he chairs the company’s board and has the right to a board seat if he holds at least 2.5% stake. However, had he been classified as a promoter, he would not have been granted the ESOPs.
The recent developments have put a spotlight on the corporate governance practices at Paytm and raised questions about Sharma’s role within the company. It remains to be seen how Paytm will address these issues and whether it will have any impact on its operations and future prospects.
In conclusion, the SEBI notices to Vijay Shekhar Sharma and the former board members of One 97 Communications Ltd have raised concerns about corporate governance practices at Paytm. The allegations of misrepresentation of facts during the IPO and non-compliance with promoter classification norms have put the spotlight on Sharma’s role within the company. It will be interesting to see how Paytm addresses these issues and the potential impact it may have on the company’s future.