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A book building IPO uses a market-driven pricing mechanism in which investors bid for shares within a specified price band. The final issue price is determined after assessing investor demand. This article explains the book building process meaning, how the process works, why companies prefer this pricing method, and the advantages it offers to both issuers and investors.
A book building IPO is a commonly practised pricing method in which the price of shares is based on what investors are willing to pay as opposed to being predetermined. During the entire subscription period, investors provide bids that lie within predetermined price limits. The price is then determined by analysing all the bids received.
Acquiring knowledge about the book building process will help investors in understanding the pricing, demand trends, and allocation mechanism of IPOs.
The book building process means an IPO pricing technique whereby an issue price gets derived from the bids made by investors. The company communicates the price band, and investors are allowed to bid within that price range during the subscription period.
Once the bidding period lapses, the book-running lead manager ascertains the demand from investors at the given price levels and thereafter makes a decision about the final issue price. The approach is market-driven, which helps achieve efficient price discovery with respect to the public issue.
Additional Read: What is IPO: Full Form, Meaning
The process of book building takes place in a step-by-step manner, and through investor participation, the book-building process is able to determine the issue price of the IPO. Awareness of each step gives investors a clearer view of how they obtain bids and use them to decide the issue price.
The following steps discuss how the process takes place as per the applicable regulations with regard to book-built public issues in India.
Company Announces the Price Band – Prior to the opening of the IPO, the company, together with the designated main manager of book running, determines the maximum and minimum price limits that can be specified by investors during the subscription period.
Investors Submit Their Bids – Qualified investors submit their applications for shares by selecting the number of shares they wish to buy at the bid price within the predefined price range, based on their evaluation of the firm’s value.
Demand Is Evaluated – Once the subscription period is over, the book-running lead manager studies the applications received at different price levels and estimates the demand from investors for the issue price.
Issue Price Is Finalised, And Shares Are Allotted – Based on the assessment of demand, the issuer finally determines the issue price. Then, shares are issued to the successful applicants in compliance with regulations set by SEBI and the rules applied in the allotment procedure.
Many companies are using the book building process of issuing IPOs now, as it provides for pricing of shares based on the actual demand of investors and not a price that has been decided upon previously. Book building gives the company as well as book running lead managers an ability to find out whether the market is interested in the pricing prior to settling on the offer price.
The process involves looking at the different bids that have come in at different price bands and coming up with a price that reflects what the market is saying. Moreover, book building provides for improved pricing flexibility, enables price discovery, and allows for gauging investor interest even before the shares are issued and listed on an established stock exchange.
The book-building process gives a clear and market-based way to establish the price for a company’s IPO. Rather than working on a pre-determined issue price, this method allows for price discovery in a more effective manner, resulting in a fairer allocation process both for the issuer and the investors.
This method allows a company to gauge investor interest prior to finalising the issue price, while also giving investors the opportunity to invest within a certain price range. This approach promotes pricing flexibility, reflects prevailing market demand, and contributes to a structured IPO process under the applicable SEBI framework.
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