Specialist lender Shawbrook is preparing to announce the intention of its London Stock Exchange debut in a move which could take place as soon as Thursday next week, according to reports.
Shawbrook’s private equity owner, Pollen Street Capital, is eying a £2 billion valuation for the firm from the transaction.
It comes amid a dire outlook for the London Stock Exchange (LSE) after data this week revealed it had fallen as low as 23rd in the global ranking of IPO destinations.
A mere £184 million was raised on the LSE in the first nine months of the year – falling drastically short of the £17bn in 2021 and making 2025 the worst year for listings in over three decades.
However, there are hopes that a successful Shawbrook float could open the floodgates to a batch of new listing candidates.
The LSE has also just announced a partnership with Crowdcube which will give individual investors the chance to invest in private firms on the same terms as institutional investors.
The news, first reported by the Financial Times, comes after London-headquartered Pollen Street has been exploring multiple pathways for the lender over the last year, including a £5bn merger with FinTech unicorn Starling Bank and a potential takeover of high street lender Metro Bank.
In its half-year report, Shawbrook recorded a 35% jump in profit before tax to £168.6m.
Its £180m acquisition of ThinCats has now completed, with the FinTech lender’s CEO, Amany Attia, and managing director, Ravi Anand, confirmed to be stepping away from the business.
Crowdcube and LSE to open private markets to everyday investors