CVC Capital close to kicking off its mega private equity IPO: sources

CVC Capital Partners is preparing to kick off its initial public offering (IPO), undaunted by the recent equity market jitters, people with knowledge of the matter said. 

The European private equity firm is discussing plans to unveil its intention to float in Amsterdam as soon as the coming days, according to the people.

It hasn’t yet set an exact timeline and the announcement could spill into next week, the people added, asking not to be identified because the information is private. 

CVC may start trading in November, Bloomberg News has previously reported. It was valued at around US$15 billion when it sold a minority stake to Blue Owl Capital in 2021.

CVC could still decide to hold off at the last moment if market conditions worsen, some of the people said. 

An IPO would be Europe’s largest of the year and one of the biggest ever by a buyout firm in the region.

CVC’s preparations come at a precarious time for the listings market, which had begun to splutter back to life before shaky performance from the IPOs of chip designer Arm Holdings and sandal maker Birkenstock Holding.

An escalating war in the Middle East between Israel and Hamas is also hitting global stock markets, adding an extra layer of concern for investors. 

Deliberations are ongoing, and CVC hasn’t finalised details of the listing plan, the people said. A representative for CVC declined to comment.

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CVC is one of Europe’s best known buyout firms and manages more than 160 billion euros (S$231 billion), according to its website. It raised 26 billion euros in July for the world’s biggest-ever buyout fund and has also been diversifying its business into new areas – including infrastructure and secondaries.

These moves come as major institutional investors increasingly dedicate money to larger private equity firms that can offer a “one-stop shop” through a range of strategies, rather than doling out smaller chunks to an array of different providers. BLOOMBERG