Airtel Money kicks off £5.3bn IPO in biggest London float for five years

African mobile payments business Airtel Money has made a muted start to trading as it kicked off its £5.3 billion stock market debut in what marks the biggest London listing for five years.

The group saw shares rise as much as £2 each from an initial price set at £1.96 in conditional trading, before the stock later eased back to just below its opening mark on Friday morning, at £1.94 within the first hour.

Its initial public offering (IPO) is the biggest on the London market since the flotation of fintech Wise in 2021 and has given the embattled London Stock Exchange a shot in the arm amid a recent dearth in new listings.

Airtel Money has been spun off from separately listed FTSE 100 firm Airtel Africa, a leading telecoms provider which is part of Indian conglomerate Bharti Enterprises.

The firm is thought to be the first large African fintech to list on a global stock exchange.

Airtel Money operates from a network of branches and kiosks (Alamy/PA)

Airtel founder Sunil Bharti Mittal, who is also the founder and chairman of Bharti Enterprises, said the IPO was a “vote of confidence in the UK as an attractive global destination for investment”.

He said the UK offers a “stable business and policy environment attractive for long-term investors”.

The IPO adds to Bharti’s long-term investments in the UK, including the strategic stake in BT announced in 2024, shareholding in Eutelsat (previously OneWeb) alongside the UK Government and Scottish resort Gleneagles, according to the group.

Conditional dealing of Airtel Money shares began at 8am on Friday, with only investors allocated shares in the offering able to participate, ahead of unconditional share dealing when the market opens on October 14.

Airtel Money chief executive Ian Ferrao said: “Today is a landmark moment for Airtel Money.

“Our listing in London marks an important new chapter for our business and reflects what we have built across Africa and the significant opportunity ahead.”

Existing shareholders in Airtel Money sold a total of 270 million shares worth around £529 million, with up to an extra 27 million shares as part of an over-allotment option, bringing the total to £582 million.

Majority shareholder Airtel Africa only took part in the over-allotment sale of shares, as it said it planned to remain “a long-term strategic shareholder and to support Airtel Money’s next phase of growth as an independently listed business”.

International Finance Corp has agreed to buy up to £67.2 million of shares from existing shareholders at the offer price, as part of a cornerstone investment agreement.

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

Its biggest business is offering digital wallets, which enable people to store and transfer money, and access to loans and savings accounts.

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.

Susannah Streeter, chief investment strategist at the Wealth Club, said: “Airtel Money has a compelling growth story, operating across 14 nations in Africa, a continent which has been at the forefront of digital payments technology.”

She said while the £5.3 billion valuation was lower than first mooted, the IPO was a “much-needed win for the London market”.

She added: “It is a valuable boost for the market, showing London can still provide a launchpad for ambitious start-ups and spin-offs to take the leap into public markets, at a time when the UK is keen to breathe new life into its IPO scene.

“The real test now will be next week when we’ll see whether more investors are prepared to back its growth story and if this long-awaited flotation can help restore confidence in London as a place for ambitious businesses in other sectors to list.”