African payments firm Airtel Money plots debut on London stock market

Airtel Africa has unveiled plans to float its mobile payments firm on the London stock market in what could deliver a major boost to the City.

The company, which is already listed on London’s FTSE 100 index, said it wanted Airtel Money to be listed separately on the London Stock Exchange.

The plans to launch an initial public offering (IPO) is expected to bring about one of London’s biggest listings in recent years.

The company is looking to raise around 800 million US dollars (£601 million) from the IPO, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Airtel Money is used by around 53 million people across Africa to make payments, pay bills, withdraw cash and access other money services.

Operating through a network of branches and kiosks, it generated revenues of around 1.4 billion US dollars (£1.1 billion) in the last financial year.

It is a subsidiary of Airtel Africa, a leading telecoms provider which is part of Indian conglomerate Bharti Enterprises.

The intention to pick the UK as the destination for an IPO is seen as welcome news for the City which has attracted much fewer listings in recent years.

There have been a handful of IPOs this year following a spurt of activity towards the end of 2025, including the flotations of tinned tuna maker Princes Group and small business lender Shawbrook.

Airtel Money’s planned debut is thought to be one of the biggest in the pipeline since the flotation of fintech Wise in 2021.

The firm is expected to publish a prospectus with more details on the IPO next month.