ICICI Securities delisting gets nod, setting up merger with ICICI Bank

India's ICICI Securities has secured shareholders' nod to delist its stock, the brokerage said in the early hours of Thursday, paving the way to merge with parent and majority shareholder ICICI Bank. About 71.9 per cent of the brokerage's minority shareholders voted in favour of delisting, exceeding the regulatory requirement of a two-thirds majority for a resolution to pass. Among public institutional investors, which own a total 16.68 per cent in the company, 83.8 per cent voted in favour of the delisting, while only 32 per cent of non-institutional public shareholders, who hold 8.55 per cent in the company, were in favour. Norges Bank Investment Management, which holds a 3.2 per cent stake through one of its funds, making it the largest public shareholder in ICICI Securities, has previously said it voted in favour of the deal. ICICI Bank holds a roughly 75 per cent stake in the brokerage and its vote is not considered. It said last June it would buy the remaining 25 per cent in a share-swap deal and its stock has jumped 16 per cent since then, raising the implied offer price to about 726 rupees as of Wednesday's close.