The UAE’s stock markets attracted new capitalisation of nearly AED21.3 billion ($5.8 billion), thanks to three new initial public offerings (IPOs) witnessed since the beginning of this year, in line with market plans to double its market value to around AED6 trillion in the coming years.
The initial public offerings and new listings contributed to increasing market liquidity, enhancing its investment attractiveness, and solidifying the financial markets’ position in the country as one of the world’s most important financial and business hubs.
Alef Education’s IPO
Alef Education Holding led the way with a market capitalisation reaching around AED9.45 billion as the first IPO witnessed by the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) in 2024.
Following a successful public offering that raised AED1.89 billion by selling 1.4 billion shares, constituting 20 percent of the company’s shares, Alef Education began trading at AED1.35 per share. The IPO garnered strong demand, exceeding the target subscription value by 39 times, even after increasing the individual investor allocation from 8 percent to 10 percent.
Parkin goes public
Meanwhile, Parkin, Dubai’s exclusive operator of paid public parking, achieved a market capitalisation of AED6.3 billion upon its listing on the Dubai Financial Market (DFM) in March as the first listing for 2024. This aligns with Dubai’s strategic initiatives to develop financial markets announced at the end of 2021.
Parkin’s listing attracted exceptional interest from international and regional institutional investors, as well as individual investors in the UAE, with total subscription requests reaching approximately AED259 billion, exceeding the subscription value nearly 165 times.
This strong demand underscores investor confidence in Parkin’s growth strategy as a robust investment opportunity, supported by Dubai’s steady economic performance and population expansion.
Spinneys’ listing
The market capitalisation of Spinneys 1961 Holding plc reached AED5.5 billion upon its listing on the DFM in May, following a widely subscribed public offering. The company attracted broad interest from regional and international investors, including institutions and individual investors in the UAE, with total subscription requests reaching approximately AED71 billion.
Total subscription requests exceeded the offering size by 64 times for all investor segments combined (excluding the anchor investor), marking the highest demand and coverage ratio for non-governmental IPOs on the DFM in recent years.
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