MENA IPO momentum continues into Q2 2023 with 13 deals raising $US1.8b

• Q2 2023 marked a 44% year-on-year increase in the number of IPOs but an 80% drop in proceeds when compared with Q2 2022
• The Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) had the largest IPO of Q2 2023, with ADNOC Logistics and Services (L&S) raising US$769.5m
• Saudi Arabia continued to dominate the region’s IPO activity with total proceeds of US$0.9b from 11 IPOs on Tadawul and Nomu     

According to the EY MENA IPO Eye Q2 2023 report, IPO activity in the MENA region continued to gather momentum with a total of US$1.8b in proceeds from 13 IPOs – a 44% increase in the number of listings but an 80% drop in proceeds when compared to Q2 2022.

The growth in Q2 2023 was driven predominately by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). KSA dominated the region’s IPO activity in terms of the number of listings in Q2 2023, with four listings on the Tadawul main market raising US$0.8b and seven IPOs on the Tadawul (Nomu) parallel market with proceeds of US$0.1b. Jamjoom Pharmaceuticals Factory Company raised US$336m, the highest raise on the Tadawul for the quarter, followed by First Milling Company SJSC which raised US$266.4m. Both offered a free float of 30% of the company’s share capital and were oversubscribed.

In the UAE, the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) completed their largest IPO of the quarter with ADNOC L&S raising US$769.5m. The IPO saw the largest demand globally for a transaction so far in 2023, with an oversubscription level of 163x in aggregate - the highest oversubscription for a UAE book-build IPO. On the Dubai Financial Market (DFM), Al Ansari Financial Services PJSC was the UAE’s first family-owned company to be listed, raising US$210.4m in proceeds.

Brad Watson, EY MENA Strategy and Transactions Leader, says:

“The second quarter of 2023 confirmed that MENA IPOs are not experiencing the downward trend witnessed globally. The UAE and Saudi Arabia continue to be the most active markets in the MENA region in terms of both the number and size of IPOs. As just one example, ADNOC’s second portfolio company listing in 2023 outpaced the global markets in terms of demand. The MENA region continues to have strong economies and low debt; coupled with the reform and deregulation in the region, it continues to be an attractive environment for new listings.”

Overall, in H1 2023 the MENA IPO market registered a total of 23 IPOs (4% year-on-year decrease), all of which were in the GCC with total proceeds of US$5.2b.

While the general EMEIA region continues to see a significant contraction in IPO values, the MENA region has a promising pipeline for the rest of the year, particularly from KSA. So far, 23 Saudi companies have announced their listing plans on the Tadawul for H2 2023. Further afield, two companies in Egypt intend to list, indicating a strong pipeline of IPOs to come in the remainder of the year.

Gregory Hughes, EY MENA IPO and Transaction Diligence Leader, says:

“The MENA IPO pipeline for H2 2023 and 2024 remains very healthy with several IPOs already announced in KSA and multiple processes ongoing across the broader region, with further transactions planned in the UAE, Oman, Qatar, and Kuwait. We see planned IPO activity across different sectors and from a combination of family business, state-backed enterprise and private equity stakeholders. MENA has been a bright spot in the much more subdued global IPO market, and we expect this to continue in the future, especially with international businesses also exploring listings in this region.”

Impact of oil prices on global economy

EY analysis shows that the global economic picture in H1 2023 was impacted by volatility in OPEC and Brent crude prices, which rose in January and February 2023 before falling sharply around mid-March 2023. The rise in January was due to the stronger-than-expected growth in China's economy, which boosted demand for oil. The fall in March 2023 led to concerns about a global recession and expectations of higher interest rates.

Oil prices rebounded in April 2023 as the financial market stabilized and expectations of higher interest rates eased. OPEC+ announced production cuts in early April, which provided further support to prices. Crude oil prices witnessed relatively lesser volatility in June with prices settling at lower levels of US$71/bbl to US$77/bbl as concerns about the global economy weighed on demand. However, further production cuts by OPEC+ and KSA are expected to support prices in the coming months.

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