移动支付公司Airtel Money将于周五晚些时候在伦敦证券交易所开始交易，此次上市或将成为该交易所五年以来规模最大的首次公开募股（IPO）。
Mobile payments firm Airtel Money is set to start trading on the London Stock Exchange later on Friday, a listing that may mark the largest initial public offering for the bourse in five years.
包括卡塔尔投资局和TPG Inc.在内的现有股东在此次IPO中每股1.96英镑出售了2.7亿股，共筹集约5.29亿英镑（6.98亿美元）。这笔交易预计将使该公司（正式名称为Airtel Mobile Commerce NV）的估值达到约53亿英镑。
Existing shareholders including the Qatar Investment Authority and TPG Inc. offered 270 million shares at £1.96 apiece in the IPO, raising roughly £529 million ($698 million) in the process. The deal is expected to value Airtel Mobile Commerce NV, as the company is formally known, at about £5.3 billion.
在该公司以股票代码“AMC”于伦敦上市之后，最大股东Airtel Africa Plc和Mastercard Inc.可能通过超额配售选择权额外出售2700万股。公司的交易表现将成为伦敦努力重振其资本市场能力的下一项考验。如果首日表现强劲，将表明伦敦是IPO的理想之地，并可能吸引更多公司在伦敦证券交易所上市。与此同时，若首日股价跌破发行价，则可能向市场释放负面信号，进而可能吓退潜在的上市企业。
Majority owner Airtel Africa Plc and Mastercard Inc. may sell an additional 27 million shares through an overallotment option after the stock debuts in London under the ticker symbol “AMC.”How the company trades will be the next test in London’s efforts to revitalize its capital markets. A strong first day would imply the city is fertile ground for IPOs and may encourage more companies to list on the LSE. At the same time, a debut that slips below the offer price would send a negative signal through the market, potentially deterring listing candidates.
伦敦证券交易所长期面临首次股票发行短缺的问题，这一“干旱”已持续至第六年，并蔓延至欧洲其他地区。尽管伦敦年初时有大量潜在IPO项目蓄势待发，但许多计划或因市场动荡而推迟，或为争取更多准备时间而搁置。
London’s stock exchange has experienced a prolonged shortage of first-time share sales, a drought that is set to enter its sixth year and which has extended to the rest of Europe. While London entered the year with a strong pipeline of prospective IPOs, many of the plans have been delayed either by choppy markets or to allow more time for preparations.
Airtel Money选择在IPO市场动荡之际推进其上市计划。由于利率上升和地缘政治不稳定，欧洲和美国的多家上市候选企业已推迟了原定于近期进行的发行。
Airtel Money opted to proceed with its IPO at a volatile time for new listings, with several candidates in Europe and the US postponing imminent offerings amid rising interest rates and geopolitical instability.
为激发投资者的兴趣，Airtel Money两次下调了估值预期，并选择以固定价格发行股票，而非通常采用的价格区间。即便如此，根据彭博社整理的数据，这仍是自2021年黄金时期以来伦敦规模最大的首次公开募股。
To help drum up investor appetite, Airtel Money twice lowered its valuation expectations and chose to market shares at a fixed price instead of the customary range. Even so, it was London’s largest first-time offering since the heydays of 2021, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
Airtel Money 在非洲运营着一系列分支机构和服务亭，用户可通过它们缴纳水电费、办理小额贷款和购买商品，网站上如此介绍。公司此前表示，在截至六月的12个月内处理了2130亿美元的交易，月活跃用户约为5300万。
Airtel Money operates a range of branches and kiosks across Africa that are used to pay utility bills, arrange microloans and buy goods, according to its website. It processed $213 billion in the 12 months through June, with about 53 million monthly active users, the company has said previously.
该金融科技公司的首次公开募股被视为伦敦证券交易所集团（London Stock Exchange Group Plc）——该交易所的母公司——吸引海外上市公司努力取得成功的标志。伦交所最近在交易所设立了一个新板块，专门用于国际公司的二次上市，而运营 FTSE 英国指数的 FTSE Russell 也简化了外国公司进入该国基准指数的渠道。
The fintech’s IPO has been seen as a sign of success for efforts by London Stock Exchange Group Plc, the parent company of the exchange, to attract more listings from abroad. The LSE has recently created a new segment on the bourse for secondary listings from international firms, while FTSE Russell, which operates the FTSE UK indexes, made it easier for foreign companies to access the country’s benchmarks.
花旗集团（Citigroup Inc.）、美国银行（Bank of America Corp.）、巴克莱银行（Barclays Plc）、高盛集团（Goldman Sachs Group Inc.）和摩根大通公司（JPMorgan Chase & Co.）正在安排 Airtel Money 的发行。
Citigroup Inc., Bank of America Corp., Barclays Plc, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and JPMorgan Chase & Co. are arranging Airtel Money’s offering.