SGX-Tel Aviv pact may spice up IPO scene from H1 2019

Singapore

A UNIQUE pact inked in May between the stock exchanges of Singapore and Israel to court dual listings of capital-hungry high-tech Israeli start ups could ignite activity as early as in the first half of next year, with "dozens" more such listings expected over the next three years, the head honcho of the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE) has said.

Ittai Ben-Zeev, in an interview with The Business Times, said: "We are not talking about two or three companies undertaking dual IPOs (initial public offerings) ... we expect 30 to 50 companies to leverage over the next three years on this collaboration."

There is good reason for the chief executive's optimism. Israel, dubbed a "Startup Nation", packs a punch with its innovation ecosystem; the full-employment economy now has more than 6,000 high-tech firms across hot sectors such as …