Attracting investor attention since it was first announced, SDB bank concluded its Secondary Public Offering (SPO) with a successful oversubscription of the initial issue of Rs. 3.5 billion.
This achievement rides on the bank's previous record-setting as Sri Lanka's first Colombo Stock Exchange-listed entity to host and complete a rights issue digitally, with an oversubscription. "It is indeed a privilege and an honour to witness this kind of support and encouragement from our investors," stated SDB bank CEO Thilak Piyadigama. "This SPO, through which we invited existing and new shareholders to join hands with the bank, was conducted to raise capital to activate several of the bank's plans to empower communities most in need of support, whilst upholding our profitability to do what's right by our shareholders. Two oversubscriptions during a pandemic is a lot to ask for, and we are truly grateful to each and every investor who has joined us in our journey of uplifting Sri Lanka's rural sector and small and medium enterprises (SMEs)," he added.
The capital raised from the SPO will be used to fuel the bank's strategic growth plan for the next 3-4 years, which includes growing its loan portfolio targeting SMEs and female entrepreneurship and providing digital banking services to Sri Lanka's rural areas.
Having gained attention and subscription offers from several local and foreign investors since it was first announced by SDB bank in April 2021, the SPO targeted to initially issue up to 68 million new ordinary voting shares to the public at a share price of LKR 51.50 to raise up to Rs. 3.5 billion and in the event of an oversubscription of the initial issue up to an additional 20 million shares via a green shoe option bringing the total value of the SPO to Rs. 4.5 billion. This offering was the second phase of the bank's plans to power its growth trajectory, the first of which was its rights issue last year when it raised Rs. 1.5 billion.
Over the recent years, the bank has successfully attracted strong institutional investors with an ethos of sustainability, (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) MSME development and capacity enhancement. During the private placement of shares of the bank in 2017, SBI FMO Emerging Asia Financial Sector Fund (SBI), International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Nederlandse Financierings Maatschappij Voor Ontwikkelingslanden N.V (FMO) invested Rs.1.46 Bn in the Bank. This SPO has witnessed the support of ICONIC Property Twenty-Three (Pvt) Ltd which is a fully owned subsidiary of LOLC Holdings PLC, FMO, Ayenka Holdings (Pvt) Ltd and Belgian Investment Company for Developing Countries (BIO) partnering with the bank as shareholders.
SDB bank has made a great leap in terms of pioneering innovations via its rights issue and SPO, both which were conducted successfully and completely online. To maintain optimum efficiency and smooth operations, the bank set up separate systems for the process, enabling CDS account holders to apply through the Central Depository System (CDS) and others to apply via a tailor-made dedicated online system. NDB Investment Bank (NDBIB) played the role of Financial Advisor and Managers to the SPO. NDBIB since advising SDB bank on its initial listing on the CSE in 2012, has advised and guided SDB bank in various other fund raising initiatives including the successful fully digitalised right issue completed last year
The funds from the successfully oversubscribed SPO will support SDB bank's drive to empower existing and prospective SMEs, whilst economically uplifting the rural sector of Sri Lanka, which remain the bank's core focus areas.
