MC Insider | The clock’s ticking, fintech dreams, and dealmakers in demand

It’s not just startups that are embracing the confidential pre-filing route; financial services heavyweights are not far behind. One such player, part of a diversified conglomerate and also backed by the investment arm of a global development institution, opted for this mechanism for its IPO. Word on the street is that the firm is all set to kick-start its roadshows in the US, UK, Singapore, Hong Kong and other markets. With the regulator’s listing deadline looming, the outcome of the near-month-long exercise will be key. The clock’s ticking.

A senior retail banker who just moved out of a large private bank may have found his next calling. Word is, he’s caught the fintech bug and is now ready to build something of his own. Apparently, when it was imminent that his backers would soon sign on the dotted line, he made his exit from the bank public. But will his old team tag along? The details are still emerging, according to one of his friends. But the wait won’t be too long, and an announcement may be round the corner.

Buzz is that this foreign bank, which was part of a recent mammoth IPO syndicate, is on the prowl for fresh talent and has tapped dealmakers for M&A and capital markets from a fabled Wall Street outfit and a prominent Asian player. They are not the only ones on the hunt, though, on Deal Street. A popular desi financial services firm is also sending feelers to folks in the industry as it looks to enter the highly competitive i-banking space.