Fairfax Financial Holdings’ $5.6 billion acquisition of a controlling stake in IDBI Bank is significant not just for being the biggest foreign investment in India’s banking sector, but also because the transaction was handled without the involvement of major investment banks. Fairfax and IDBI Bank did not launch a formal process to appoint financial advisers, while KPMG advised the government on the sale and two professional agencies helped determine the government’s fair valuation.