Saudi mulls delay to foreign part of Aramco IPO

Haradh, SAUDI ARABIA:  A general view shows a new plant inaugurated 22 March 2006 in Haradh, about 280 kms (170 miles) southwest of the eastern Saudi oil city of Dhahran, launching a project adding 300,000 barrels of oil to the kingdom's daily production capacity. The facility which was opened today in a ceremony attended by Saudi Oil Minister Ali al-Nuaimi was completed in January, ahead of schedule, the company said. Approximately 160 kms (100 miles) of new pipeline and extensions will transport crude and gas products to processing facilities further north in the Eastern Province, a statement said. Saudi Arabia, the world's top crude producer and exporter, currently pumps around 9.5 million bpd of oil and has a production capacity of around 11 million bpd.  AFP PHOTO/STR  (Photo credit should read -/AFP/Getty Images)

Bloomberg

Saudi Arabia is considering delaying the international portion of the giant initial public offering of its state oil company until at least 2019, according to people familiar with the situation, who said a domestic share sale in Riyadh could still happen next year.
A two-stage Saudi Aramco IPO is one of several options being considered, the people said, asking not to be identified because discussion are private. Another plan would include listing in Riyadh next year and privately selling a stake in Aramco to one or several cornerstone investors, one of the people said.
Aramco said in a Twitter message that all listing venues were under review for the IPO, expected to be the largest in history, and reports that a local listing in 2018 could be combined with a stake sale to a Chinese investor were “entirely speculative.”
The IPO is the centerpiece of a broad-ranging economic reform program proposed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the dominant political force in the kingdom. Any delay would be a setback to his plans as well as the plethora of international investment banks and international exchanges eyeing millions in fees and commissions.

Saudi Arabia has been making contingency plans for a possible delay of the IPO, Bloomberg News reported last month. While the government has insisted the original timetable remains on track, several important decisions have yet to be taken, including a location for the international listing, stretching the ability of the company to sell shares overseas before the end of next year. There is a precedent for bringing in cornerstone investors before a groundbreaking commodities IPO. Glencore Plc sold in 2009 a stake through a convertible bond ahead of its 2011 IPO, still the largest ever in London where the company raised nearly $10 billion.
Despite the work on alternative plans, Saudi Arabia said earlier this month that schedule for the blockbuster initial public offering wasn’t “slipping” and the country still planned a sale by the end of 2018.
The government is “moving right ahead” for an IPO of Saudi Aramco in the second half of next year, Oil Minister Khalid Al-Falih said in Moscow. “There is nothing to indicate that schedule is slipping in any way.”
The government has said the sale of 5 percent of the shares could value the company at as much as $2 trillion, though analysts have tended to give lower estimates. If Saudi Arabia achieves its valuation, the 5 percent stake it plans to sell would raise about $100 billion. That would eclipse the $25 billion raised by Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. in 2014.
London and New York exchanges are vying for a role in Aramco IPO, with Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo and Toronto also trying to attract the sale. The Financial Conduct Authority, the UK markets regulator, defended a proposal to change listing rules that would make it easier for Saudi Aramco to list in London. Lawmakers and investors have expressed concerns on changing the rules to benefit Aramco.
The UK Investment Association, representing fund managers, said the change could damage London’s status as a financial center, the Sunday Times reported. The association told the regulator “investors must have confidence that a company is run for all shareholders, not just the major or controlling shareholder,” according to the Times.
Saudi Aramco has hired JPMorgan Chase & Co., Morgan Stanley, HSBC Bank Plc, Moelis & Co. and Evercore Inc. to advise on the IPO. Independent Wall Street consultant Michael Klein is advising the oil ministry.

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