The year 2025 is ending, and do you know what else is? Warren Buffett’s tenure as the Berkshire Hathaway CEO is also ending. While his 6-decade-long stint at the helm of Berkshire Hathaway offered investors key insights about a wide range of asset classes, it is perhaps also a good time to take a look at their India investment.
Berkshire Hathaway’s investment in India
Berkshire’s only investment in India -Paytm did not pan out as planned. It invested approximately $300 million (around Rs 2,200 crore) in one of India’s biggest fintech companies in August 2018. They bought a 2.6% stake in One97 Communications, the parent firm of Paytm.
This was the first investment of Berkshire Hathaway in India, valuing the company at over $10 billion. At that time, the stock was not listed on the stock exchanges. The company made its public market debut in 2021, a year after the COVID-19 pandemic. It was listed at Rs 1,950 per equity share, which was at a discount of 9% to the issue price of Rs 2,150. Eventually, the Buffett-led investment firm booked a loss. In 2023, Berkshire Hathaway sold out shares of Paytm at a loss of Rs 630 crore. The company had also liquidated some of Paytm’s shares during the IPO before that.
Berkshire Hathaway is known for its disciplined investing strategy and holding investments for the long term. However, the company moved out of Paytm within 5 years of investment.
Paytm stock performance
One97 Communications set the issue price of Rs 2,150 per share. The stock was listed on November 18, 2021, at a discount and closed the first day of trade at Rs 1,359.60. The stock is yet to reach its issue price. On December 31, 2025, the stock closed at Rs 1,297, down almost 40% from the issue price. Nonetheless, the share price of Paytm has given a return of 31.33% from year to date (YTD).
Paytm Payments Bank (PPBL) faced RBI restrictions in early 2024 but continues as a payments bank, and Paytm Payments Services (PPSL), a subsidiary of One97 Communications. However, in November 2025, it received the crucial online Payment Aggregator (PA) license from the RBI, allowing it to onboard new online merchants after earlier compliance issues were resolved.
Warren Buffett retiring
Often called as the Oracle of Omaha, Warren Buffett, will retire as chief executive officer of Berkshire Hathaway today, December 31. Greg Abel will be succeeding Buffett and assume charge as CEO from January 1 onwards. The 95-year-old will remain chairman of the company. Buffett stepping away from daily operations will mark the end of a nearly 60-year career during which Berkshire transformed from a faltering textile producer into a worldwide conglomerate and a benchmark for long-term investing.