Mumbai: Block deal activity on Dalal Street surged to ₹98,353 crore in August, making it 2026’s busiest month and the third-highest monthly total recorded in India’s equity market.
Promoters and private equity investors accelerated stake sales, taking advantage of secondary-market liquidity despite weakness in benchmark indices.
August volume doubles from July
Around 1,459 block deals were executed across the BSE and NSE, according to PRIME Database.
The combined value was more than double July’s ₹48,454 crore and substantially higher than the ₹68,298 crore registered in June.
August alone contributed nearly one-fourth of the ₹4.03 lakh crore in block transactions recorded in 2026.
The month trailed only March 2017, when block deals reached a record ₹2.32 lakh crore, and June 2024, when transactions totalled approximately ₹1.01 lakh crore.
Large transactions drive momentum
Around 10 deals worth at least ₹2,000 crore each occurred in August. Together, these transactions contributed ₹26,000 crore to the monthly tally.
TPG Inc’s sale of nearly 7% in Aster DM Quality Care was among the biggest deals, fetching about ₹4,451 crore. The stake was sold through affiliate Centella Mauritius Holdings on the NSE on August 19.
Promoter Prudential Corporation Holdings sold a 2% stake in ICICI Prudential Asset Management Company for nearly ₹3,030 crore.
Pilani Investment and Industries Corporation, an Aditya Birla Group company, raised ₹2,896 crore through the sale of approximately 25 lakh UltraTech Cement shares.
PE investors monetise holdings
Resilient Asset Management BV sold a 3% holding in One97 Communications for nearly ₹2,950 crore.
SoftBank affiliate SVF II Lightbulb (Cayman) divested a 2.6% stake in Lenskart Solutions for approximately ₹2,888 crore through the BSE on August 24.
Also read: IMEI Tampering Can Bring Jail, DoT Warns Of ₹50 Lakh Fine
Despite August’s jump, the 2026 total remains below the records of ₹6.41 lakh crore in 2024 and ₹5.84 lakh crore in 2025.
The rise in deals comes even as the Nifty 50 has fallen around 8% in 2026, compared with gains of 10% in each of the previous two years.
