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African payments giant Airtel Money plans London IPO that would be the biggest City flotation in five years

From the Newshound archive · first published 23 September 2026 · last updated 24 September 2026.

The City of London, where Airtel Money's planned stock market listing would rank as the biggest float in five years.
The City of London, where Airtel Money's planned stock market listing would rank as the biggest float in five years.

Airtel Money, the mobile payments arm of FTSE 100 firm Airtel Africa, has announced plans to float on the London Stock Exchange at a valuation of up to $9bn (£6.8bn). The listing is expected to be London's largest IPO since fintech Wise in 2021, with the company seeking to raise around $800m from existing investors selling down shares. Airtel Money's chief executive Ian Ferrao said the listing would "underpin our next wave of growth" across its 13 African markets.

Airtel Money serves around 53 million monthly active users across sub-Saharan Africa, generating revenues of nearly $1.4bn last year.

The listing is seen as a boost for a City struggling with a listings drought — just seven companies have floated in London so far this year, raising a combined £577m.

The IFC has signed a cornerstone agreement with Airtel Money, though analysts caution the float is partly a 'home fixture' given parent Airtel Africa is already a top-performing FTSE 100 stock.

MoreFinancial TimesAirtel Money IPO signals a route back for London’s marketThe TimesLondon stock market set for biggest flotation in five yearsThe GuardianDoes Airtel Money mark the end of London’s listing drought? Not yetwsj.comAfrican Fintech Airtel Money Targets $9 Billion Valuation With London Listing - wsj.comTradingViewAirtel Money To Float IPO, List On London Stock Exchange - TradingViewCity A.M.Airtel Money boss: This is why we picked London for our float
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