Private Equity Archives - S&R Associates

Lessons from OpenAI: Boards and the Spin of Corporate Governance

Widely regarded as the most innovative AI organization in the world, OpenAI’s management model presents a unique approach to corporate governance involving a majority-independent board of directors as final decision makers. In 2023, OpenAI’s CEO was fired and immediately reinstated, within a short period of a week. Such events highlight the reality of independent corporate governance models and suggest that truly independent structures may struggle in modern business environments. This note also briefly considers removal of directors from an Indian perspective.

M&A in the Ports Sector in India: Key Regulatory and Contractual Considerations

Insights | November 15, 2024 | Practice Area: Mergers and Acquisitions, Private Equity, Projects; Infrastructure and Energy, Regulatory

The Indian ports sector is witnessing increased private sector participation, particularly by way of Public-Private Partnerships (“PPP”). The government has facilitated private sector participation by adopting investor friendly PPP models and streamlining tender processes and concession agreements for major ports. Due to multiple regulatory authorities and differing practices of port authorities, mergers and acquisitions in the ports sector in India are associated with unique considerations that potential acquirers should bear in mind. This note discusses the key regulatory and contractual considerations relevant to mergers and acquisitions in the ports sector in India.

The New India-UAE BIT: Changing the Model BIT by BIT

Insights | November 6, 2024 | Practice Area: Litigation and Arbitration, Mergers and Acquisitions, Private Equity, Regulatory

The new bilateral investment treaty (“BIT”) signed by India and the United Arab Emirates (“UAE”) earlier this year replaces the 2013 India-UAE BIT and entered into force on August 31, 2024. The 2024 India-UAE BIT seeks to stimulate investment across a broad range of sectors and marks a key policy shift in India’s foreign investment protection regime. Importantly, the new treaty departs from India’s Model BIT in several significant aspects. These include extension of investment protection to portfolio investments, reduction in the timeline for exhaustion of local remedies before commencing arbitration, and a blanket prohibition of third-party funding.
In this note, we analyze some of the key features of the 2024 India-UAE BIT, including the indications, if any, regarding India’s position on its Model BIT and what this may signify for ongoing negotiations on other BITs.

Landscape for Green Hydrogen in India

Insights | September 20, 2024 | Practice Area: Clean Energy, Corporate Governance and ESG, Investment Funds, Private Equity, Projects; Infrastructure and Energy

Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe and has the potential to store tremendous amounts of energy. Under the right circumstances, it can be a viable alternative to fossil fuels and can significantly contribute to decarbonization. Accordingly, in India’s quest to decarbonize and achieve net zero emissions by 2070, it seeks to manufacture and deploy Green Hydrogen (“GH2”), and its derivates such as Green Ammonia. Policy initiatives including the National Green Hydrogen Mission (“NGHM”), and the Green Hydrogen Certification Scheme (“GHCI”) create a framework, while incentivizing investments in the sector by providing financial incentives and creating robust and transparent monitoring systems. Other key consideration for investors would be the ease of financing and longevity of business operations, dependent in part on the regulatory framework. The availability of low cost renewable energy and skilled workforce also show good promise to transform the country’s energy infrastructure and position it as an export hub for international trade. In this backdrop, investors are keenly looking at the landscape for GH2 in India to meet both financial and ESG goals.

Investing in AI in India (Part 1): Key Considerations

Insights | July 23, 2024 | Practice Area: Data, Intellectual Property, Mergers and Acquisitions, Private Equity, Regulatory, Technology; Media and Telecommunications

While investments in the AI sector in India present significant opportunities, they also present a unique set of risks within an evolving legal and regulatory landscape.
Before making an investment decision, investors should consider IP issues, data-related rights and compliance, any industry-specific concerns, the then-applicable regulatory framework as well as potential developments in AI regulation. In addition, investors should evaluate operational and contractual arrangements, undertake a technical due diligence, and assess potential liabilities and risks. Such risks include product and professional liability, algorithmic bias and discrimination, cybersecurity and data breaches, market and reputational risks, along with concerns related to transparency and explainability.

Foreign Investment in Nuclear Energy in India

Insights | March 26, 2024 | Practice Area: General Corporate, Mergers and Acquisitions, Private Equity, Regulatory

Nations across the globe have announced their net zero targets and other climate action commitments. Each country is pursuing its own pathway to achieve the net zero goal considering the resources available to it. In this background, in December 2023, the Government of India announced that it has initiated steps to substantially increase India’s nuclear power capacity.
This note provides an overview of the current legal framework for private/foreign investment in nuclear energy in India and the increased level of screening for foreign investment globally in the energy sector.

Regulatory Shifts in India’s Satellite Communication Landscape

Insights | March 11, 2024 | Practice Area: Capital Markets, General Corporate, Mergers and Acquisitions, Private Equity, Tax

There is a rising interest in satellite-based connectivity in the Indian market among internet service providers. Eutelsat OneWeb India, Jio Satellite Communications, Elon Musk’s Starlink and Amazon’s Kuiper are in the process of obtaining the requisite licenses to provide satellite communication services in India. Satellite communications represent an inevitable technological development in response to a continued demand for better network quality and higher capacity.
In this background, the Telecommunications Act, 2023 (“Telecommunications Act”) which received the President’s assent on December 24, 2023 and provides for administrative allocation of satellite spectrum as well as liberalization of the FDI policy applicable to the space sector further spurs the gaining momentum in satellite-based communication technology in India. This note explores the regulatory shifts in the Indian satellite communications landscape.

Indian Tax Treaties: Capital Gains and Beneficial Ownership Test

Insights | March 5, 2024 | Practice Area: Capital Markets, General Corporate, Mergers and Acquisitions, Private Equity, Tax

India’s double tax avoidance agreements (“DTAAs”) with certain countries (for e.g. Singapore, Mauritius and the Netherlands) provide that the capital gains on sale of shares is taxable only in the resident country of transferor and no tax is payable in India. However, the tax authorities have disputed the benefit available under the DTAAs by applying the “beneficial ownership” test. Further, they have also argued the sufficiency of tax residency certificate (“TRC”) to claim such benefit. In this note we analyze these aspects in light of the decision of Delhi High Court in Blackstone Capital Partners (Singapore) VI FDI Three Pte. Ltd., appeal against which has been recently admitted by the Supreme Court.

Investing in India: An Overview of Legal Considerations

Insights | February 28, 2024 | Practice Area: Capital Markets, General Corporate, Mergers and Acquisitions, Private Equity, Regulatory, Restructuring and Insolvency

Foreign investment is a key contributor to India’s growth story and India continues to consistently experience growth in inflow of foreign direct investment (“FDI”). The Government of India has announced that the provisional figure of FDI inflow into India for the financial year ended March 31, 2023 was USD 71 billion and according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) World Investment Report, India remains a favored destination for global investors.
In this note we discuss certain key legal considerations for a foreign investor investing in India.

Compulsorily Convertible Debentures:
Whether ‘Debt’ or ‘Equity’?

Insights | January 4, 2024 | Practice Area: General Corporate, Mergers and Acquisitions, Private Equity

Compulsorily convertible debentures (“CCDs”), as the type suggests, are debentures that are compulsorily convertible into equity shares. CCDs first became prominent in the foreign direct investment (“FDI”) context in 2007 when Indian foreign exchange laws expressly recognized them as the only type of debentures that Indian companies could issue to raise FDI. The reason to disallow other types of debentures for FDI purposes was to curb debenture issuances to foreign investors in the guise of equity. Since the foreign exchange laws had established a FDI regime for equity instruments and a separate external commercial borrowing (“ECB”) regime for debt instruments, it was felt that Indian companies were bypassing the ECB route by issuing hybrid debt instruments under the FDI route. Thus, CCDs have been regarded as equity instruments for FDI purposes.
In November 2023, the Supreme Court of India (“Supreme Court”) delivered its judgment in IFCI Limited v. Sutanu Sinha that dealt with the question whether CCDs are to be treated as ‘debt’ or ‘equity’ in a different context. This note analyzes the Supreme Court judgment and the ‘repayment of principal’ test that courts have consistently applied to determine whether convertible debt instruments are regarded as ‘debt’ or ‘equity’.