Saudi Aramco prospectus flags risks, gives few details on IPO size

Saudi State oil giant Aramco will sell up to 0.5 per cent of its shares to individual retail investors and will be restricted from issuing additional shares for a year after the initial public offering (IPO), its prospectus said on Saturday.

Aramco fired the starting gun on what is likely be the world’s largest listing on November 3 after a series of delays.

The offering, set to rank it as the world’s most valuable company, will begin on Nov. 17, the prospectus said. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is seeking to sell the shares to raise billions of dollars to diversify the Saudi economy away from oil by investing in non-energy industries.

Bankers think the long-awaited IPO will value Aramco around Sh150 trillion ($1.5 trillion). The more than 600-page prospectus published on Saturday did not include details of how much of the company would be floated in total or of any commitments from cornerstone investors.

Sources have said the company could sell 1-2 per cent on the Saudi stock market.

If the government sells two per cent of Aramco shares, the retail offering could account for 25 per cent of the deal size at the top valuation of Sh200m trillion ($2 trillion).