Sensex Today | LIC, IDBI stake sales expected to help Centre surpass FY26 disinvestment target
The Centre’s disinvestment drive for FY26 is expected to be anchored by two major transactions – a 3 percent stake sale in Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) and the strategic disinvestment of IDBI Bank – which together could fetch up to Rs 80,000 crore, significantly exceeding the Union Budget 2025’s target of Rs 47,000 crore for miscellaneous capital receipts.
“At least this year, DIPAM will complete the IDBI strategic sale. The receipts will come from that in this year. That much is certain. There is no need to worry about receipts. It is a big amount. It will be Rs 40,000–50,000 crore,” a senior government official told Moneycontrol. The official added that this amount alone would be sufficient to meet the Budget target, which now includes both disinvestment and asset monetisation proceeds under the miscellaneous capital receipts head.
The 3 percent Offer for Sale (OFS) in LIC aimed for Q4 FY26 is estimated to yield Rs 20,000–30,000 crore. “Three percent offloading in LIC will be enough. It will be around Rs 20,000–30,000 crore. It will exceed the total target,” the official said, indicating strong confidence in the Centre’s ability to tap into market appetite for blue-chip public sector stocks.
The Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) has high expectations from these transactions, viewing this year’s pipeline as “very high quality”, helped by a favourable market window and the availability of “low-hanging fruit”. “LIC OFS plus IDBI strategic sale in FY26, this time it will be very high quality,” the official added.