Milestone · Financial Services
Paytm allots ESOP shares and grants new options
By Startup Enthusiast ·
- Date
- Company
- One97 Communications (Paytm)
- What it does
- Fintech platform for payments and financial services
- Kind
- Milestone
- Stage
- public
- Based in
- Noida
- Founded
- 2010
- Sector
- Financial Services
What they do
Paytm is a fintech platform offering UPI payments, mobile recharges, bill payments, and more
What happened
The company allotted 1,88,879 equity shares to employees and granted 1,23,908 new stock options
Why it matters
The ESOP grants come after a May 2025 SEBI settlement that banned founders from receiving new options for three years; the allotment and grant are part of…
The details
- Paytm allotted 1,88,879 equity shares to employees under its ESOP 2019 scheme.
- The allotment was approved by the nomination and remuneration committee on 3 January 2026.
- Each share has a face value of Rs 1 and an exercise price of Rs 9.
- The allotted shares rank pari passu with existing shares and have no lock-in period.
- The company's paid-up equity share capital increased from Rs 63.95 crore to Rs 63.97 crore.
- Total outstanding equity shares now stand at 63.97 crore.
- The board also approved a fresh grant of 1,23,908 stock options to eligible employees.
- These new options are valued at about Rs 16.6 crore based on the closing price of Rs 1,340.7.
The bigger picture
- ESOP exercises cause marginal dilution for existing shareholders, common for startups to retain employees.
- In May 2025, Paytm and founders Vijay Shekhar Sharma and Ajay Shekhar Sharma settled a SEBI case over disclosure lapses.
- As part of the settlement, the Sharma brothers forfeited 21 million ESOPs and agreed to a three-year ban on receiving new stock options from listed companies.
- The settlement also involved a payment of about Rs 2.79 crore.
About the business
- Paytm is a fintech platform offering UPI payments, mobile recharges, bill payments, flight bookings, credit cards, insurance, and investment services.
- Paytm for Business provides merchant solutions including Paytm QR, Soundbox, and Card Machine for accepting UPI, cards, and EMI payments.
The deal
- Type
- ESOP allotment and grant
Founders
- Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Founder & CEO
More on One97 Communications (Paytm)
- Resilient Asset Management sells Paytm stake worth ₹2,949 crore17 August 2026 · Stake sale · ₹2,948.9 crore
- Paytm invests ₹100 crore in Paytm Money via rights issue21 July 2026 · Funding · ₹100 crore
- Paytm becomes majority Indian-owned company14 April 2026 · Policy
- Antfin sells remaining Paytm stake, ends Chinese ownership6 August 2025 · Stake sale · ₹3,803 crore