Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd.’s acquisition of a controlling stake in IDBI Bank Ltd. was the biggest foreign investment in India’s banking sector. It was also unusual in that no major investment banks were involved.
The $5.6 billion sale to Canadian billionaire Prem Watsa’s firm was approved Wednesday. Unlike other multibillion-dollar deals, Fairfax and IDBI decided to handle the transaction internally, without even starting a formal process to hire financial advisers.