Jio Platforms said to start marketing record India IPO next week: Bloomberg

Fresh updates from the financial markets indicate that Billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Jio Platforms Ltd. plans to formally kick off investor outreach for its initial public offering as early as the week ahead, according to people familiar with the matter, advancing plans for what could be one of India’s largest-ever listings.

The digital and telecommunications arm of oil-to-retail conglomerate Reliance Industries Ltd. is set to hold meetings across the US, Singapore, Hong Kong, London and the Middle East, the people stated, asking not to be identified because the information is private. Jio is targeting a November IPO in its discussions with banks, they stated.

Deliberations are ongoing and details of the offering, including its size, valuation and timing, could change, the people stated. A representative for Jio Platforms didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Jio Platforms filed draft documents for the offering on June 19 and received approval from the Securities and Exchange Board of India on August 28. The IPO comprises issuance of as many as 270 million new shares. That is equivalent to a dilution of around 2.9% of the firm’s equity, according to Bloomberg News calculations.

The firm plans to use part of the proceeds to repay debt.

Jio Platforms, which owns India’s largest wireless carrier, could raise as much as $4 billion in the offering, people familiar with the matter stated earlier.

A stock-exchange debut of that scale would add momentum to India’s busy equity capital market, which is preparing for several large offerings. National Stock Exchange of India Ltd., the operator of the world’s busiest derivatives market by volume, received SEBI’s approval earlier this month for an IPO, which is anticipated to launch in September to mobilize around $3 billion.