UAE – Mubasher: The path of going public is evolving and the GCC hold a firm position atop the map, according to leaders from Kitopi, Tabby, Informa PLC, OMNIYAT, and Daman Investments at the third Capital Market Summit in Dubai.
Panelists, from founder-led tech scale-ups to multi-generational family businesses and real estate powerhouses, shared how the region is redefining initial public offering (IPO) readiness, while joining CNBC’s Dan Murphy to explore what it truly takes to go public in today’s markets.
The market leaders noted that for some, that means focusing on governance and scalability; for others, it’s about choosing the right instruments, whether equity, REITs, or Sukuk, to unlock growth.
They further pointed to the fact that as capital markets continue to diversify, more companies are choosing to list closer to their home markets, where their customers, investors, and growth potential align.
It is worth noting that OMNIYAT recently priced its inaugural green Sukuk issuance, raising $500 million.
On the first day of the summit, another panel discussion was also on the stage with moderator Hitesh Asarpota, the CEO of Emirates NBD Capital, to tackle IPO and what it takes to go public.
Tomaso Rodriguez, the CEO of Talabat, and Hamed Ali, the CEO of Dubai Financial Market (DFM) and Nasdaq Dubai, took the stage to reflect on Talabat’s journey to the public markets, six months after making headlines with the world’s largest tech IPO.
From compressing a typical IPO timeline into just four months to securing early anchor demand and navigating the dual pressures of market execution and business performance, the discussion offered a rare inside look at what it takes to go public at scale while staying focused.
Among the discussions on the first day of the summit was a panel including speakers from Morgan Stanley, London Business School (LBS), and HSBC who pointed to the global economic environment.
