MUMBAI, May 12 (Reuters) - Indian developer DLF Ltd <DLF.BO>
will revive and enlarge an initial public offer of its property
trust in Singapore because it believes market conditions have
improved, two people close to the development said on Monday.
Earlier this year, India's most valuable property firm had
shelved a planned $1.5 billion IPO for its real estate investment
trust (REIT), scheduled for the first three months of 2008, on
account of volatile market conditions. At the time, a source had
said it might consider a private placement instead.
"The markets are slightly better than before, so we plan to
update the IPO papers in Singapore by month-end or next month,"
one source said.
"The size will be more than $2 billion -- possibly the same
size as the India IPO," the first source said.
DLF had raised $2.25 billion in its IPO last July, which at
the time was India's biggest-ever IPO.
"We are looking forward to doing it some time next month,"
said the other source, who also has direct knowledge of the deal.
A spokesman for DLF declined comment.
The second source said Symphony Capital, a private equity
firm, had already invested $450 million in the DLF Assets, which
is to be listed in Singapore as a REIT, in a private placement.
DLF's founders had also put 12.8 billion rupees ($305
million) rupees into DLF Assets, the source said.
"This is a move to show that even the promoters are confident
on the futures of the trust," the source said.
DLF, which had first announced plans for the REIT IPO last
year, said in February it was still working on it, and expected
it to be launched in the second quarter of the year.
"We have already received regulatory approval in Singapore,
we just need to update the papers with the most recent financial
information," the first source said on Monday.
Poor market conditions had prompted rivals Unitech <UNTE.BO>
and Indiabulls Real Estates <INRL.BO> to also postpone their
planned Singapore REIT IPOs in March. India's main share index
<.BSESN> fell almost 23 percent in the March quarter.
Indiabulls Properties Investment Trust filed its prospectus
last Thursday, and plans to raise $235 million in its IPO in
Singapore, a source told Reuters. See [ID:nSIN64330]
India does not allow REITs to be floated, although regulators
have issued draft guidelines.
($1=41.9 rupees)
(Reporting by Rina Chandran and Devidutta Tripathy; Editing by
John Mair)
(([email protected]; +91 22 6636 9251; Reuters
Messaging: [email protected]))
Keywords: DLF IPO/