The Big Apple could be part of the biggest IPO in history, if sources are correct.
New York, joined London and Hong Kong on the shortlist of exchanges that could get a piece of the ell-publicized Saudi Arabian Aramco IPO.
Reuters, citing anonymous sources, reported that any or all of the aforementioned, singly or in a combination of two or even all three, could get the international portion of the listing of national oil company Aramco, two sources with knowledge of the discussions said.
The initial public offering (IPO) will also include the Saudi stock exchange, Tadawul, and is still set for late 2018, the sources said.
The shortlist means Tokyo, Singapore and Toronto are no longer in the running for what is likely to be the world’s biggest IPO. Riyadh could raise as much as $100 billion in the sale of up to 5 percent of Aramco [IPO-ARMO.SE] if it achieves a projected $2 trillion valuation.
A final decision has yet to be made by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, who oversees the kingdom’s economic and oil policies, the sources told Reuters.
One of the sources said a phased listing was being considered, with the local listing occurring first, followed by an international listing or listings at a later stage.
The second source said it was possible that Aramco would be listed on all three international exchanges, as well as the Saudi bourse, but cautioned that no decision had been taken.
The first source said discussions involved listing on at least two of the three venues.
“As far as Aramco goes, late 2018 remains the objective and the plan and everything is moving to deliver that,” the first source said.