Investor demand for Reliance's retail business is so strong that Carlyle and SoftBank are among those that have been put onto a waiting list, according to people familiar with the matter.
Carlyle and SoftBank have recently expressed interest in investing in Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Retail, said the people, who asked not to be identified as the information is private. Reliance has asked the two companies to wait on the sideline since the Indian conglomerate is already in advanced talks with other financial investors, the people said.

Ambani is tapping the backers of his digital services business, which has secured $20 billion (roughly Rs. 1,47,384 crores) in recent months, as he seeks funding for Reliance Retail. Silver Lake, an investor in Jio, last week agreed to chip in $1 billion (roughly Rs. 7,489 crores). Other Jio investors, including private equity funds KKR and L Catterton, are also considering investing, Bloomberg News has reported.

Abu Dhabi's Mubadala, which is a Jio investor as well, is weighing an investment of about $750 million (roughly Rs. 5,507 crores) in Reliance Retail, the people said. Abu Dhabi Investment Authority and Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund are also mulling investments, one of the people said.