Swiggy's IPO, valued at ₹11,300 crore, has unlocked ₹9,000 crore worth of employee stock options (ESOPs), creating significant wealth for around 5,000 employees, with nearly 500 becoming 'crorepatis.' Employees can sell their shares a month after listing, thanks to a regulatory exemption, while the IPO was oversubscribed 3.59 times, driven by institutional investors. With its ESOP program spanning three plans since 2015, Swiggy's founders and top management collectively hold ESOPs worth ₹2,600 crore, emphasizing the company's commitment to rewarding employee contributions.

 

One97 Communications, the parent company of Paytm, has issued 2.44 lakh equity shares to employees under its ESOP schemes, increasing its paid-up capital to Rs 63.73 crore. Paytm’s shares have surged 185% over the past six months, reaching a 52-week high of Rs 967.10, driven by resolved regulatory challenges and progress on key approvals like a payment aggregator license. Additionally, Paytm introduced UPI Lite for seamless small transactions, and UBS Securities raised its price target for the stock to Rs 1,000, reflecting significant improvements in the company’s outlook.

Mphasis Limited announced the granting of 25,000 stock options under its ESOP 2016 and 12,000 restricted stock units (RSUs) under its RSU Plan 2021 to eligible employees, effective November 7, 2024, as approved by its ESOP Compensation Committee. The stock options have an exercise price of ₹2,900, with equal vesting over five years and a 60-month exercise period, while the RSUs, priced at ₹10, follow a progressive vesting schedule of 10%, 20%, 30%, and 30% over five years, catering to both Indian and US-based employees. These equity grants are administered through the Mphasis Employees Equity Reward Trust, ensuring compliance with SEBI regulations, and the announcement was officially submitted to the BSE and NSE by Senior Vice President and Company Secretary Subramanian Narayan

Capgemini has launched its 11th global employee share ownership plan (Esop), covering 97% of its workforce, including most of its 175,000 employees in India, as part of efforts to align employee interests with company performance. The Esop, offering up to 2.7 million shares (1.56% of outstanding shares), aims to sustain employee ownership at around 8% of the company's share capital, with investment options protecting employees against potential losses during the non-tradable period. Despite a 2.6% revenue decline in H1 2024, Capgemini maintained a 12.4% operating margin and increased organic free cash flow, reinforcing its financial stability as it rolls out this initiative.

Paytm has allotted 254,908 equity shares to eligible employees under its employee stock option plans, with the allocation approved by the company's nomination and remuneration committee. This allotment increases Paytm's paid-up equity share capital to INR 63.66 crore, with the newly issued shares valued at INR 5.65 crore based on the last closing price. The move comes amid challenges for Paytm, including regulatory issues with the Reserve Bank of India and significant financial losses, but the company has also received government approval for investment in its payments arm, enabling a payment aggregator license application.

SEBI has issued a notice to One97 Communications, the parent company of Paytm, regarding employee stock options (ESOPs) granted to its MD and CEO, Vijay Shekhar Sharma, during the financial year 2022. Paytm clarified that this is not a new development and that they have been in regular communication with SEBI, making the necessary representations. The company also stated that it believes it is compliant with relevant regulations, and this issue has no impact on its financial results for the year ended March 31, 2024.

Paytm has expanded its employee stock option plan (ESOP) by allocating 281,394 equity shares to retain talent, bringing its total equity share capital to Rs 636,274,090. The shares will be issued under the Employee Stock Option Schemes of 2019 and 2008, allowing employees to purchase company shares at a predetermined price. This move occurs amid potential layoffs and regulatory challenges, as the company reported a significant loss of Rs 549.6 crore in the fourth quarter of 2023-24.

Swiggy has announced its fifth ESOP liquidity program, allowing employees to receive up to $65 million for their stock options. This marks the company's fifth liquidity event since 2018, cumulatively enabling over Rs 1000 crore of ESOP liquidity and benefiting more than 3,200 employees. The program aligns with Swiggy's commitment to rewarding employees and comes as the company approaches its 10th anniversary, amidst similar moves by its competitor Zomato.