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(Courtesy AB InBev)
It was on, then it was off, and now it appears that the world’s largest brewery will be offering an IPO on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
Here’s what we know…
Just two months after Anheuser Busch InBev abruptly pulled the plug on its plans for a public listing in Asia, it appears that the Belgian-based brewer has decided to go forward once again.
In a statement on Thursday, the global brewer announced that it had “resumed its application” to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange to list shares in its Budweiser APAC division, home to more than 50 beer brands in the region including Budweiser and Stella Artois.
At issue is the enormous debt load brought on by its industry-changing acquisition of SABMiller in 2016, a $102.5 billion merger that is proving consequential for AB InBev.
And in addition to paying down the company’s considerable debt the new public offering hopes to generate more than $5 billion in funds that would also be used to secure future acquisitions in the region.
Anheuser- Busch InBev has been in the news a lot lately, what with their on-again, off-again, and now on-again Asian IPO.
In July, when the world’s biggest brewer not only put an end to the initial Asian public offering that would have been the biggest initial public offering of 2019, AB InBev also agreed to sell its Australian subsidiary Carlton & United Breweries to Tokyo-headquartered Asahi…
AB InBev’s pending IPO deal, which is subject to closing conditions and regulatory approval, is expected to be completed by the first quarter of 2020, so you’ve time to get your ducks in order, if you intend to buy-in.
