IPO filings rise despite market jittery

As many as 120 companies filed for IPOs worth ₹1.6 lakh crore with Sebi in the first half

- BENN KOCHUVEEDAN @ Mumbai

DESPITE the market jitters due to the likelihood of a poor earnings season and the lingering uncertainty on trade tariffs, companies are swamping the IPO market like there is no tomorrow. As many as 120 companies from diverse sectors have filed for primary share sales with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) in the first half of this year worth a whopping ₹1.6 lakh crore fund-raise plans.

The filing of draft red herring prospectuses (DRHPs) has picked up an unprecedented pace in the first half of 2025 by as much as 60% to a planned fundraise of ₹1.6 lakh crore, as against ₹1 lakh crore in the comparative period in 2024, according to investment bankers.

Investment bankers attribute the frenetic IPO filing to the "very attractive valuations" now, coupled with the return of the foreign funds to secondary market. And they expect the remainder of the year to be more robust than the first half, both in terms of more filings as well as in actual launches.