Fairfax Leads Race for IDBI Bank Stake Sale: December-End Bid Deadline Near as Kotak Stays in the Fray
New Delhi | December 12, 2025 — India’s long-delayed IDBI Bank stake sale has entered a decisive stretch, with Fairfax Financial emerging as the leading contender to acquire a controlling stake from the Government of India and Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), according to people familiar with the process. The race has effectively narrowed to two serious bidders—Fairfax and Kotak Mahindra Bank—as the deadline for financial bids approaches at the end of December, with some indications the timeline could spill into early January. The Economic Times+1 The stakes are high: the Centre and LIC are jointly looking to divest