(Reuters) -Shawbrook’s London IPO, targeting a valuation of up to 2 billion pounds ($2.68 billion), is covered within the price range on the full deal size including the over-allotment option, a bookrunner said on Tuesday, signalling solid investor appetite for the lender’s listing.
Shawbrook is seeking a market capitalisation of between about 1.8 billion pounds and 2 billion pounds ($2.68 billion) in an IPO on the London Stock Exchange, making it potentially the city’s biggest listing in years.
The alternative lender had earlier on Tuesday said it has set the price range for the offering at 350 to 390 pence per share.
Shawbrook’s sole shareholder, Marlin Bidco, is expected to sell between 79.9 million and 81.1 million existing shares pursuant to the offer. Marlin Bidco is a vehicle controlled by private equity firms BC Partners and Pollen Street.
The lender also plans to raise 50 million pounds by issuing new shares, and may sell up to 14.1 million additional shares under an over-allotment option, it said.
The listing would mark Shawbrook’s return to the public market after it was taken over by BC Partners and Pollen Street in 2017.
Shawbrook’s potential IPO signals renewed appetite for UK listings after a dismal year that saw a flurry of companies move away from their London listings to tap into more liquid capital markets.
While policymakers and regulators overhauled London’s listing rules last year, the move has yet to translate into meaningful IPO activity.
The bank’s private equity owners had previously explored a number of deals with rival lenders over the past two years, including Metro Bank and Co-op Bank, Reuters previously reported.
Shawbrook expects its shares to begin trading on the market on November 4, pending admission.
($1 = 0.7451 pounds)
(Reporting by Raechel Thankam Job in Bengaluru; Editing by Harikrishnan Nair and Kim Coghill)
