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Airtel Africa's Airtel Money Confirms Intent to List on London Bourse

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Airtel Africa's Airtel Money Confirms Intent to List on London Bourse

Airtel Africa's (AAF.L) money unit, Airtel Mobile Commerce, d/b/a Airtel Money, confirmed on Wednesday that it is planning to launch an initial public offering on the London Stock Exchange.

The Africa-focused digital financial services platform is seeking inclusion on the official list of the UK's Financial Conduct Authority and permission to trade on the bourse's main market for listed securities. The IPO will fully comprise shares under the ownership of existing shareholders.

"We are approaching this from a position of financial strength. The business is debt-free, capital-light and highly cash generative, which is why this Offer consists solely of shares sold by existing shareholders and no new capital is being raised," said Airtel Money Chief Executive Officer Ian Ferrao. "This listing will give us the platform to continue transforming financial services across Africa and to keep building value for our customers, our partners, African governments and our shareholders."

London-listed telecommunications and mobile money services provider Airtel Africa, which currently owns 77.85% of Airtel Money's issued ordinary share capital, separately said it expects to remain a long-term strategic shareholder of the business following the listing.

Shares of the company will be offered to qualified institutional buyers in the US and retail investors in the UK via the RetailBook platform. The final price is expected to be disclosed mid-October, subject to the completion of the bookbuilding process. Upon completion, Airtel Money is expected to have a free float of at least 10%.

The company was earlier reported to be seeking at least $800 million from the IPO, for a valuation in the $8 billion to $9 billion range. London's Financial Times said the offering is expected to be one of the biggest on the bourse in recent years.

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