Tech IPOs are booming everywhere but in Europe this year

Inside the Euronext NV exchange in Paris, France, on Sept 1, 2020. — Bloomberg

Tech stocks around the world are pushing all-time highs, spurring headline-grabbing listings by the dozen, yet in Europe the biggest news in the sector is a company looking to leave public markets.

Startup factory Rocket Internet SE has brought at least nine initial public offerings to market over the past five years, but said on Sept 1 that it would be "better positioned as a company not listed on a stock exchange.” Its rationale for the move is all too familiar: Access to private funding is so easy that there is little need to maintain a listing.