Walmart’s Acquisition of $1.4 Billion Tiger Global Stake in Flipkart Marks a Significant Move in India’s E-commerce Landscape, According to Wall Street Journal

July 30, 2021

Introduction

Walmart has completed a $1.4 billion buyout of hedge fund Tiger Global’s investment in e-commerce firm Flipkart, according to a letter sent by Tiger Global to its investors, as reported by the Wall Street Journal.

Transaction Details

• The transaction value is $1.4 billion.
• Walmart spokesperson confirmed the transaction but did not disclose financial specifics.
• The buyout results in a valuation of $35 billion for Flipkart.

Positive Outlook

“We remain confident in the future of Flipkart and are even more positive about the opportunity in India today than when we first invested,” stated the Walmart spokesperson.

Response from Tiger Global

Tiger Global did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment regarding the buyout.

Previous Reports

Earlier this year, the Economics Times reported that private equity firms Accel and Tiger Global, who were early backers of Flipkart, were in discussions with Walmart to sell their remaining stake in the company.

• Tiger Global held approximately 4% of Flipkart, according to the Economic Times report.

Background

In 2018, Walmart acquired a majority stake of 77% in Flipkart for around $16 billion. At the time, Walmart also mentioned the possibility of taking the e-commerce firm public within four years.

Reporting and Credits

Reporting by Yana Gaur and Urvi Dagar in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Bharat Govind Gautam; Editing by Kim Coghill, Chris Reese, and Nivedita Bhattacharjee.