MUMBAI (BLOOMBERG) - BSE, the operator of Asia's oldest bourse and the nation's first stock exchange to list, received bids for about 17 times the shares in an initial public offering ending Wednesday.

Bids were placed for 181.5 million shares compared with 10.8 million shares on offer as of 1.45 p.m. local time, according to National Stock Exchange data.

Singapore Exchange, Caldwell India Holdings, Acacia Banyan Partners, the Mauritius-based arms of American investor George Soros' Quantum Fund and foreign fund Atticus Capital were among big investors selling shares in the bourse, according to a draft sale document filed with the regulator in September. BSE gets about 27 per cent of its revenue from transactions, as much as 24 per cent from listing, about 42 per cent from other sources, and three percent from market data, according to the offer document.

Edelweiss Financial Services, Axis Capital, Jefferies India, Nomura Financial Advisory and Securities (India) Pvt, Motilal Oswal Investment Advisors, SBI Capital Markets and SMC Capitals are managing the share sale.

Rival National Stock Exchange of India Ltd. also filed a draft prospectus last month for an initial public offering for about 100 billion rupees (S$2.12 billion), pushing ahead with the nation's biggest listing in more than six years after its top executive resigned.