Angel Broking, one of India’s biggest broking houses, plans to go public within 18 months, to raise about ₹250 crore.

Dinesh Thakkar, Chairman and Managing Director, said the plan is to offer between 20 and 25 per cent stake.

To invest in tech, digital In 2008, International Finance Corporation, an arm of the World Bank, bought 12.5 per cent stake in Angel Broking for ₹150 crore. Today, Angel, a completely retail broking house, has over 8 lakh clients and recorded a daily turnover of ₹6,500 crore as of January. It is present in 900 cities through 8,500 sub-brokers.

Thakkar, who founded the Mumbai-based brokerage in 1987, said the capital raised will be used to invest in technology and offer improved digital trading experience for investors. “We plan to invest ₹50-60 crore in technology every year from ₹7-8 crore right now. We also plan to increase our sales team from 750 people now to 1,100 over the next few years.” He anticipates expenses to increase by around 30 per cent over the next three to four years.

“Unlike other players in the market, we are running at full capacity now; others have excess capacity. In the next 18 months, we will be ready to accept and deploy more capital to ramp up operations.” At the end of three years, he expects Angel to be more than double its present size at a CAGR of 30 per cent.

Time for consolidation Thakkar believes the time is ripe for consolidation in the brokerage industry but valuations are prohibitive. “We are looking at it (acquisitions) but the valuation is a hindrance. In India, it is very difficult for a company to give up management rights, because the broking business is usually nurtured by one entrepreneur over many years. So it’s not a professional organisation where there is a lack of emotional attachment with the business.”

“When a brokerage feels it is unable to scale up to deliver the services required, then it might be available for consolidation. But the time is good (for a consolidation) in the market right now.”

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