Comments on Middle Eastern IPOs in MEES Weekly Outlook, 16 Feb 2018

Dr. Saidi’s comments on the prospects for Middle Eastern IPOs are highlighted below: 
On the Aramco IPO:
“The domestic portion is likely to be listed this year on the Tadawul. This is important to achieve domestic ‘buy-in’ to the policy of liberalization and privatization,” says Mr Saidi. “It is too early to make a call on the international segment. But it could be either an international listing or a private placement with China a good contender given the strong interest of Chinese SWFs.”
On the pipeline:
“Regional energy giants such as Oman’s PDO and Iraq state oil marketer SOMO are expected to set up entities with an eye towards potential listings this year or next. The aim is to boost revenues: they have also announced plans for higher spending,” Dubai-based economic consultant Nasser Saidi tells MEES.
To download and access the full article on Pages 14&15 of the MEES publication (Weekly Energy, Economic & Geopolitical Outlook, Vol. 61, No. 07, 16 Feb 2018), click here.