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DUBAI / WAM
Salik Company, Dubai’s exclusive toll gate operator, on Thursday announced the successful completion of the bookbuild and public subscription process for its initial public offering (IPO) on the Dubai Financial Market (DFM).
The company confirms the previously announced upsized offering size of 1,867,500,000 ordinary shares (“Offer Shares”), equivalent to 24.9% of total issued share capital, along with the offer price of AED2.00 per ordinary share. This results in total gross IPO proceeds of over AED3.7 bn ($1.0 bn) to be paid to the Government of Dubai represented by the Department of Finance (the “Selling Shareholder”) after adjusting for any expenses related to the Offering.
The offering saw significant interest with total gross demand for the IPO in excess of AED184.2bn ($50.2 bn), implying an oversubscription level of 49 times, for all tranches combined. The Qualified Investor tranche attracted demand across the globe of AED149.5 bn implying an oversubscription level of 43x (excluding cornerstone, oversubscription level stands at 52x).
The retail offering saw tremendous appetite from the local investors with demand collected in excess of AED34.7 bn implying oversubscription levels of 119x. The overwhelming investor demand for Salik shares underlines the company’s compelling investment proposition as the exclusive toll operator of Dubai.
Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of Salik’s Board of Directors, expressed his pleasure with the strong investor interest in the offering and said, “This reflects the trust and confidence from the global investor community in Dubai’s capital markets and the strong position of the company as Dubai’s exclusive toll gate operator, in addition to its effective regulatory framework and robust business model, which will enable the Company to continue to remain at the heart of expansion plans in the road and transport sector, in support of the Emirate’s economic growth.”
Al Tayer added, “The IPO represents an important milestone in Salik’s journey and provides an opportunity to solidify the company’s success as an exclusive toll gate operator for the road network in Dubai and will contribute to improving the experiences of road users through its pivotal role in managing traffic and the future of mobility in the Emirate.”
Ibrahim Sultan Al Haddad, Chief Executive Officer of Salik, said, “This listing is a key step in Dubai’s privatisation programme and its broader plans to attract foreign investment. Having kept Dubai moving for 15 years, Salik is at the heart of the city’s economic expansion plans. The IPO builds on the Company’s legacy, and we are pleased to have seen strong demand for Salik shares both from local and international investors.”