OMIFCO IPO attracts RO 4.69 billion in bids

BUSINESS REPORTER

MUSCAT, JULY 1

The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has approved the share allocation ratios for the initial public offering (IPO) of the Oman India Fertiliser Company (OMIFCO), following its review of the subscription results.

The results showed that total subscription proceeds exceeded the value of the offer by 3.909 times for the individual investor category and 27.4 times for the institutional investor category. Total subscription demand reached RO 4.69 billion. Total subscription demand reached RO 4.69 billion.

In determining the allocation mechanism, the FSA carefully considered all available options in accordance with the methodology set out in the prospectus, adopting an allocation policy designed to accommodate all subscriber categories as fairly as possible, allocate appropriate holdings to the largest possible number of shareholders, achieve the desired balance, and, at the same time, broaden participation in public offerings.

Accordingly, the FSA approved the allocation results for small retail investors (Category II) by setting a minimum allocation of 6,500 shares, in addition to allocating approximately 5.618% of the remaining shares. Subscription requests in this category totalled 737,943,400 shares, while the total amount subscribed reached approximately RO 115.12 million, representing an oversubscription rate of approximately 2.206 times.

The approved allocation results for large individual investors (Category II) amounted to approximately 17.818% on a pro rata basis for each subscriber. Subscription requests in this category totalled 1,877,108,000 shares, while the total amount subscribed reached approximately RO 292.83 million, representing an oversubscription rate of approximately 5.612 times.

The FSA said it reviewed the subscription results and approved the allocation mechanism in line with the methodology set out in the prospectus.

With regard to local institutional investors (Category I), the approved allocation amounted to 2.6806% on a pro rata basis for each subscriber. As for foreign institutional investors (Category I), the FSA approved the allocation in accordance with the mechanism set out in the prospectus, following the determination of the offer price at 156 baisa per share for both local and foreign institutional investors through the book-building process. The subscription results showed that institutional investors submitted applications for 27,461,059,143 shares, while the total amount subscribed by this category reached RO 4.284 billion, representing an oversubscription rate of 27.4 times.

The FSA affirmed that the strong investor response and continued confidence in the primary market underscore the importance of leveraging the IPO market to support economic activity and finance a wide range of investment projects.

The remaining stages of the offering will proceed in accordance with the timetable set out in the prospectus. Refunds of excess subscription amounts are scheduled to commence on July 2, while the company's shares are scheduled to be listed on the Muscat Stock Exchange on July 8.