LONDON - The Italian asset manager Anima said Friday that it had received approval from Italian regulators to list on the Borsa Italiana.
Anima expects to publicly float about 63.25 percent of its share capital. The initial public offering could value the company up to 1.35 billion euros, or about $1.85 billion.
The company said it expects to price its shares between €3.50 and €4.50 a share.
The offering is another in a flurry of European floats this year, fueled in part by private equity firms looking to exit potential companies amid buoyant stock markets.
There have been 58 offerings in Europe, the Middle East, India and Africa that have raised $14.4 billion so far in the first quarter, according to a report released earlier this week by Ernst & Young. That’s a 9 percent increase in the number of floats over the prior-year period.
Overall, the global I.P.O. market is the strongest its been since first quarter 2011, with 239 deals raising around $44.3 billion, according to Ernst & Young.
Anima is owned by the Italian private equity firm Clessidra and the Italian banks Monte dei Paschi di Siena and Banco Popolare di Milano. They are expected to remain shareholders in Anima following the sale.
About 90 percent of the offering is expected to be allotted to institutional investors.
The book runners on the offering are Goldman Sachs, Banca IMI, UniCredit and UBS.
