NEW DELHI: Prudential Plc is planning to raise as much as US$300mil through a share placement in ICICI Prudential Asset Management Co before an initial public offering (IPO) of the Indian joint venture, according to people familiar with the matter.
The UK-based insurer has begun talks with potential investors, and about 15 institutions have expressed interest in participating in the pre-IPO placement, the people said, asking not to be identified as the information is private.
A final decision will be made once ICICI Prudential AMC receives regulatory approval to go public, they said.
India’s Securities and Exchange Board of India is expected to grant approval for the IPO in the coming days, Bloomberg News reported earlier.
The IPO could raise as much as 100 billion rupees (US$1.1bil) and value the nation’s second-largest mutual fund manager by assets at about US$11bil, people familiar with the matter have said.
If the IPO completes this year, the offering could help boost India’s already strong IPO market beyond last year’s record US$21bil, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
Deliberations are ongoing and details of the pre-IPO plans could still change, the people said.
A representative for Prudential declined to comment, while ICICI Prudential AMC didn’t respond to requests for comment. — Bloomberg
