Kathmandu — Siddhartha Bank Limited has put 469,122 promoter shares up for sale, opening a significant portion of the offering to investors beyond its existing promoter group.

Of the total shares offered, 157,479 units, or about 33.6 percent, have been earmarked for the bank’s existing promoter shareholders. They have been given 35 days from the publication of the notice to submit applications.

The larger portion—311,643 shares, equivalent to about 66.4 percent of the total offering—can also be purchased by general investors. This means roughly two out of every three shares currently placed on sale are accessible beyond the bank’s existing promoter base.

The structure of the sale is important because it indicates a transfer of ownership rather than a fresh issue of capital. The shares being sold are already held by promoter shareholders, meaning the transaction itself will not increase Siddhartha Bank’s paid-up capital. Instead, ownership of the promoter shares will move from existing holders to successful buyers.

For investors, promoter-share transactions differ from ordinary trading in listed public shares. The sale is being conducted through an application process rather than regular secondary-market trading, with interested buyers required to specify the number of shares they want to acquire.

Existing promoter shareholders have been given a defined window to exercise their purchase opportunity. If the designated shares are not fully taken up within the prescribed period, the bank has said the remaining shares can subsequently be offered to other eligible individuals and institutions.

The size of the two categories also shows that the current sale is not primarily restricted to existing insiders. While around one-third of the offering is reserved for current promoters, nearly two-thirds has been made available to a broader group of investors.

That could result in some redistribution of the bank’s promoter ownership if the shares are purchased by new investors. However, the extent of any change in Siddhartha Bank’s overall ownership structure will depend on who ultimately acquires the shares and how large the 469,122 shares are relative to the bank’s total promoter shareholding.

The sale should therefore not be interpreted as fresh fundraising by Siddhartha Bank. Unlike a rights issue or new share issuance, the transaction does not directly provide additional capital for lending or business expansion. Its immediate significance lies instead in providing an exit or ownership-transfer mechanism for promoter shareholders wishing to sell their stakes.

Investors interested in purchasing the shares are required to submit written applications specifying the number of shares they intend to buy. Applications must be filed with the Office of the Company Secretary at Siddhartha Bank’s central office in Naxal, Kathmandu, within the stipulated 35-day period.

The response to the offering will provide an indication of investor appetite for Siddhartha Bank’s promoter shares. Strong demand could allow the shares to change hands within the initial application period, while weak participation from existing promoters could push a larger portion toward other investors and institutions.