Middle East Equity

Network International, the Dubai-based payments company listing in London, was covered throughout its price range on its first day of bookbuilding on Monday. It built on a surge of momentum after it announced US firm Mastercard as a cornerstone investor in its IPO in March.

Middle-Eastern payments company Network International is getting plenty of traction in pre-marketing for its IPO on the London Stock Exchange and has garnered interest from investors interested in anchoring the transaction, according to sources close to the IPO.

Dubai-based payments company Network International has kicked off investor education for its IPO on the London Stock Exchange, which is expected to value the business in the region of $3bn, according to a source close to the deal.

Confidence is sweeping through the CEEMEA bond market as huge volumes for some of 2018’s most maligned issuers have pushed volumes up to record breaking levels for the first fortnight of a year. But despite the strong start, some bankers are concerned that the difficulties of last year are a whisker away from making a comeback. Francesca Young, Lewis McLellan and Sam Kerr report.

A host of emerging market opportunities are set to be presented to equity investors in 2019 with Kazakhstan likely to lead the way with a number of highly anticipated listings. Sam Kerr reports.

Shari Arison, the Israeli billionaire, increased the size of a share sale in Bank Hapoalim, the largest bank in Israel, to satisfy investor demand for the stock.

Arison Holdings, a vehicle for Shari Arison, the Israeli billionaire, has reopened the EMEA equity blocks market after the weekend with the sale of a 3.7% in Bank Hapoalim, the largest bank in Israel.

Cepsa, the Spanish multinational oil and gas firm, will be worth up to €8.08bn when it lists on the Spanish Stock Exchanges later this month, according to terms released on Tuesday.

The postponement of the Saudi Aramco's IPO is just the latest blow to emerging market (EM) equities. Volatility is biting ever harder, taking lumps out of an ever dwindling autumn pipeline. Sam Kerr reports.

The Saudi Capital Markets Authority has approved a resolution allowing NCB Capital to raise funds for a new Saudi ETF, linked to the MSCI index, via an IPO.

The decision by MSCI to reclassify Saudi Arabia as an emerging market and the country's inclusion in its emerging market indices is a game changing moment for the kingdom in its attempts up to foreign investors. With the IPO of Saudi Aramco looming, investors are excited by the prospects these changes promise, writes Sam Kerr.

The FCA’s decision to modify rules in order to allow sovereign owned companies — such as Saudi Aramco — to achieve a premium listing should be seen as just another chapter in the UK’s cosiness with the House of Saud.