2 weeks ago
SEBI study: FPIs lead anchor selling amid IPO unlock pressure
When a company wants to sell its shares to the public for the first time, it can first sell some shares to big investors.
These big investors are called anchor investors.
A rule makes them wait a little while before selling those shares.
After the waiting time ends, many of them sell, and this can make the share price drop.
A study from a group in India called SEBI looked at 242 companies that did this.
The study found that foreign investors were the biggest sellers, and smaller companies had more selling.
When many investors sold at once, share prices often dropped by around 3.5 to 6 percent.
The selling did not stop after the first waiting period.
In fact, about half of all anchor shares were sold within one year.
SEBI says this selling pressure is temporary and mostly happens around the first unlock window.
A SEBI study covering 242 mainboard IPOs listed from April 2022 to October 2025 found FPIs were the biggest sellers among anchor investors.
IPOs with more than 10% of anchor holdings sold recorded an average price impact of minus 3.5% around the 30-day unlock window (T+29 to T+33).
Price pressure worsened with selling intensity but was largely muted by the 90-day unlock window.
Anchor selling continued past lock-in periods, with aggregate weighted exits reaching 50.7% by T+365, led by FPIs at around 60%.
Smaller IPOs saw higher exits: 72.5% for the Rs 0-250 crore category versus 40.8% for Rs 1,001-2,500 crore IPOs by T+365.
- Who
- SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of India), which released the study; Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) were the biggest anchor sellers.
- What
- A SEBI study found that heavy anchor investor selling pressured IPO stock prices around the 30-day lock-in unlock window, with FPIs leading the exits.
- Where
- India's mainboard IPO market.
- When
- Released on Tuesday (August 14, 2026), covering 242 mainboard IPOs listed between April 2022 and October 2025.
- Why
- To analyze anchor investor selling behavior around unlock windows and its impact on stock prices.
Key facts
- Study
- SEBI analysis of anchor investor selling in IPOs
- IPOs covered
- 242 mainboard IPOs listed April 2022 - October 2025
- Average price impact (>10% anchor exits)
- Minus 3.5% during T+29 to T+33; median around minus 6%
- Aggregate anchor exits by T+365
- 50.7%
- FPI exits by T+365
- Around 60% of anchor allotment, worth about Rs 22,474 crore
- FPI aggregate anchor allotment
- Rs 37,491 crore
- Exit by smallest IPOs (Rs 0-250 crore)
- 72.5% by T+365
- Exit by larger IPOs (Rs 1,001-2,500 crore)
- 40.8% by T+365











