Facebook to acquire stake in Jio Platforms via Jaadhu Holdings

Facebook will acquire 9.9 per cent stake in Jio Platforms announced last month via a new entity — Jaadhu Holdings LLC, as per regulatory documents.

In April, Facebook had announced an investment of USD 5.7 billion (Rs 43,574 crore) in Jio Platforms.

According to a submission made to the Competition Commission of India, Jaadhu Holdings, LLC is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Facebook, Inc. “Jaadhu is a newly incorporated company formed in March 2020 under the laws of the State of Delaware, US…Jaadhu is not engaged in any business in India or anywhere in the world,” it said.

The notification form is being filed in relation to Jaadhu’s proposed acquisition of a minority, the non-controlling shareholding of approximately 9.99 per cent of the fully diluted equity share capital in Jio Platforms, it added.

Simultaneously, Jio Platforms, WhatsApp Inc, and Reliance Retail Ltd (RRL) are proposing to enter into a separate commercial arrangement, it added.

JioMart – a new RRL commerce marketplace which connects customers with Kirana stores and other small and microlocal Indian businesses – plans to integrate certain WhatsApp services with JioMart.

The submission noted that the proposed transaction does not alter the competitive landscape in any potential market, and that Facebook and Jio Platforms will continue to operate independently.

“The proposed transaction and the proposed commercial arrangement are pro-competitive, beneficial for consumers, Kirana stores and other small and micro local Indian businesses, and takes forward the vision of digital India,” it added.

Over the past few weeks, Reliance Industries’ digital unit Jio Platforms has raised Rs 78,562 crore from marquee technology investors including Facebook, KKR, Silver Lake Partners, Vista Equity Partners and General Atlantic.

It is also in talks with other potential investors for additional investments into Jio Platforms.