Bharti/MTN transaction, and India's problem of capital controls

I have a piece in Financial Express today about the deeper linkages between the failed Bharti/MTN transaction and India's problem of capital controls.



The dual listing issue was, of course, not the only or even the main reason why the Bharti/MTN transaction failed. But it was an important impediment, and many interesting transaction structures could have been used if this constraint had been absent. And, the issues that I highlight in the article are applicable in a much broader range of situations. Unsigned reportage in Economic Times suggests that a few other people are also thinking similarly.



Also see reportage by Heather Timmons in the New York Times. Subhomoy Bhattacharjee in Financial Express has interesting views. Also see
The legal aspects of dual listings, on the blog `Indian corporate law'.



For another story of Indian companies who are growing up, facing global competition, and hitting constraints of Indian public policy, see this story by Pallavi Aiyar about Jet Airways setting up their hub in Belgium.