MUMBAI: SoftBank's founder Masayoshi Son and Vision Fund head Rajeev Misra know Bharti Enterprises chairman Sunil Mittal very well, but they are not dis cussing a telecom deal currently.
Misra, one of the most influential dealmakers globally, said, "Sunil is a close friend of mine and of Masa's. We are studying it, and keeping an eye." He was replying to speculation about SoftBank allying with Bharti in the bruising Indian telecom battles.
When quizzed whether Mittal was the only telecom partner they had in mind, Misra clarified that SoftBank and its Vision Fund were "not evaluating or considering any telecom deals in India currently".
There has been on-and-off market speculation about SoftBank buying into Bharti Airtel, which surfaced in January this year. It was believed that Mittal met with Masa in Tokyo and discussed various investment possibilities for SoftBank, including one in Airtel Money. But these talks didn't progress even as SoftBank invested $1.4 billion in Paytm soon thereafter.
Misra said the Vision Fund will consider public market investing opportunities in India, first reported by TOI in December last year. "We look at public markets, but with a long-term horizon. This is not to trade but to invest," he said. "It isn't about taking 5% and sitting on it.We take a large stake, get involved and make a difference. But nothing is off the table," Misra explained.
Answering a query, he added that Vision Fund could look at disinvestment deals if it helped to disrupt services and make "consumers better off" at the end of the day .
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