Saudi Aramco Targets IPO Completion This Year

Saudi Aramco Targets IPO Completion This Year
Attendees walk by a sign for the Saudi Arabian Oil Co. (Aramco) on display inside the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture during a tour of the project in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, on Friday, Nov. 25, 2016. When completed, the project designed for the Saudi Arabian Oil Co. (Aramco) will contain diverse cultural facilities, including an auditorium, cinema, library, exhibition hall, museum and archive. Photographer: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Saudi Aramco plans to complete its initial public offering (IPO) before the end of the year by relying more on local investors after doubts over its valuation caused it to delay a transaction that had been expected this week, according to news published on Bloomberg.

The sources, who asked not to be identified, added that the state-owned oil producer will disclose a formal announcement of the listing plan in the next few weeks, noting that the information is still private, as the kickoff, originally slated for October 20, was postponed after overseas investors pushed back at its touted $2 trillion valuation.

Aramco plans to press on with the listing plans by relying more on demand from Saudi Arabia and other parts of the Middle East, the sources said. Some domestic funds have been invited to a meeting at Aramco’s headquarters in Dhahran on Wednesday to discuss the IPO and may be asked for commitments shortly afterward, they added.

While Aramco may need to reduce its valuation expectations below the initial $2 trillion target, local institutions are seen as less sensitive to the pricing, one of the sources said. Aramco hasn’t finalized a new timetable and the schedule for the share sale could still be pushed back again, according to the sources.

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