New Delhi: In a major market development, more than 51 million shares of India’s telecom giant Bharti Airtel were exchanged through multiple block deals on Friday, according to data released by LSEG. The massive trade reflects one of the largest single-day share transfers in recent months and has drawn widespread attention across the financial sector.
The transaction comes as Singapore Telecommunications Limited (SingTel), a long-time strategic investor in Bharti Airtel, offloaded a 0.8 percent stake in the company. The deal was valued at approximately S$1.5 billion or US$1.16 billion, underscoring the scale of the transaction. The shares were sold at around ₹2,030 per share, which represented a discount of about three percent compared to the previous day’s closing price.
Following the block sale, Bharti Airtel’s stock came under short-term pressure in early trading. The company’s shares dropped by around four percent on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) amid investor caution over the large-scale transfer of shares. Market analysts attributed the fall to the discounted pricing of the deal and short-term profit booking by institutional investors who participated in the trade.
Market observers believe that such large off-market transactions, while efficient in providing liquidity for major shareholders, can temporarily dampen stock sentiment. Block deals typically allow institutional investors or large promoters to sell shares in bulk without significantly disrupting normal market operations. However, the discounted pricing often signals a short-term correction in stock value as markets adjust to the influx of traded shares.
Bharti Airtel, India’s second-largest telecom operator, has been a key player in the nation’s communications sector, with a robust subscriber base and strong 4G and 5G network presence. Despite the block deal-driven sell-off, analysts maintain that the company’s long-term fundamentals remain solid, supported by steady revenue growth, rising average revenue per user (ARPU), and continued investment in digital and enterprise services.
The deal also highlights the evolving ownership dynamics within the company. Over the past few years, SingTel has periodically reduced its holdings in Airtel as part of its capital management strategy. Industry experts note that such moves are not necessarily indicative of declining confidence but are instead linked to portfolio realignment and liquidity generation.
The Indian stock market as a whole opened on a cautious note on Friday, with benchmark indices such as the Nifty 50 and the BSE Sensex trading slightly lower amid profit-taking and global uncertainty. Bharti Airtel’s decline added further weight to the indices.
As the telecom industry continues to undergo rapid transformation with 5G expansion, data-driven services, and digital inclusion efforts, strategic shifts in ownership are being closely watched. For Bharti Airtel, the latest transaction could mark a period of renewed investor interest, particularly from domestic institutional investors and global funds seeking long-term value in India’s growing digital infrastructure ecosystem.
The development underscores both the depth of India’s capital markets and the strong investor appetite for blue-chip telecom stocks, even as global market volatility and regulatory pressures continue to test investor sentiment.