SE Asian IPOs show tentative revival as issuers brave markets
Published on: Thursday, July 30, 2020
By: The Star
Mr DIY has re-started the process for its up to US$500 million IPO, boosted by a business recovery, sources familiar with the deal said.
SINGAPORE: A handful of companies from the technology and consumer durables sectors are aiming to launch IPOs in Southeast Asia later this year, pointing to an upturn after pandemic-hit markets and weak economic growth slashed fundraisingIn Malaysia, home improvement retailer Mr DIY has re-started the process for its up to US$500 million initial public offering (IPO), boosted by a business recovery, sources familiar with the deal said.
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The company declined comment and the sources declined to be named due to confidentiality.
Earlier this month, Philippine fibre broadband services provider Converge ICT Solutions filed for an IPO of up to US$725 million, cashing in on a surge in home working.
It held up to 50 meetings with investors this month to chart demand for the deal, one source said.
AREIT, Philippines’ first real estate investment trust is also raising US$275 million.
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Activity is picking up in the region after grinding to a halt in the first quarter.
“IPOs which had been planned before the pandemic are just waiting for the right moment to come back,” said Tham Tuck Seng, Capital Markets Partner at PwC in Singapore.
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“We’ve seen heightened interest from healthcare issuers to list as the sector has become more important,” he said, also highlighting interest from consumer-tech firms.
Total fund raisings from IPOs in Southeast Asia have fallen to US$1.4 billion so far this year from US$2.9 billion a year ago, Refinitiv data shows. This excludes US$3 billion raised by Thailand’s Central Retail in February. The Hong Kong market has started to heat up again with US$38 billion raised this year in IPOs and secondary listings, according to Dealogic.
Sources cautioned that a pullback in global markets in recent weeks could still delay listings by Southeast Asian companies, but launches were being readied for later this year.
The Philippines’ equity index has dropped 25 per cent so far this year, while Indonesia is down 19 per cent and Thailand has lost 15 per cent.
In Thailand, Siam Cement Group’s packaging subsidiary is testing investor appetite for its US$1 billion IPO, likely in the fourth quarter, which was shelved in March as markets were roiled by the epidemic, sources said.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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