Saudi Finance Firm Gets $35 Billion in Orders for $264 Million IPO

Investors put in 131 billion riyals ($34.8 billion) of orders for the initial public offering of a Saudi Arabian financial services firm, in the latest example of strong demand for share sales in the kingdom. 

United International Holding Co.’s Riyadh IPO was covered 132 times, according to a statement on Tuesday. Its parent United Electronics Co. — known as Extra – is set to raise 990 million riyals by selling a 30% stake in the deal. 

The final price was set at 132 riyals per share, the top end of a marketed range, implying a market capitalization of 3.3 billion riyals. The offering had sold out minutes after books opened last month. 

Many of the recent share sales in Saudi Arabia have been met with overwhelming investor demand. A hospital group’s $763 million IPO — the kingdom’s biggest listing of the year — was covered 119 times, while a rare fintech deal was 129 times oversubscribed.

United International joins a growing number of private sector listings in the Middle East, a market that’s traditionally been dominated by state-owned firms. 

Grocery chain Lulu Retail Holdings Plc raised $1.72 billion last week from its upsized Abu Dhabi listing. Delivery firm Talabat, meanwhile, has teed up a Dubai IPO that could value it higher than its parent — Delivery Hero SE. 

IT services firm Alpha Data is also planning to list in the United Arab Emirates, while buy-now-pay-later firm Tabby is considering a share sale in Saudi Arabia.

Extra is one of the largest providers of Shariah-compliant consumer finance services in the kingdom through its units — Tas’heel Finance and Procco Financial Services, according to its website.

The subscription period for institutional investors is over, while the retail portion will be open on Nov. 19 for two days. HSBC Saudi Arabia is the financial advisor, lead manager and bookrunner on the offering. EFG Hermes KSA is the joint-bookrunner.