Saudis said to prep for possible Aramco IPO delay to 2019

London

SAUDI Arabia is preparing contingency plans for a possible delay to the initial public offering of its state-owned oil company by a few months into 2019, according to people familiar with the matter.

While the government is still aiming for a Saudi Aramco IPO in the second half of next year, that timetable is increasingly tight for what's likely to be the biggest share sale in history, the people said, asking not to be named discussing internal deliberations.