KUALA LUMPUR: Eco World International Berhad (EWI) celebrated another milestone today with the launch of the Prospectus for its Initial Public Offering (IPO).

The Prospectus launch kicks off the Retail Offering, which commences today and closes on  20 March 2017.

Pursuant to the IPO, EWI expects to issue up to approximately 2.153 billion new shares (IPO Shares). The Retail Offering, which comprises 408,000,000 IPO Shares, is fully underwritten by CIMB Investment Bank Berhad (CIMB), Maybank Investment Bank Berhad (Maybank) and Hong Leong Investment Bank Berhad, as joint managing underwriters and joint underwriters, and Alliance Investment Bank Berhad, AmInvestment Bank Berhad and RHB Investment Bank Berhad, as joint underwriters. The Retail Offering represents 17.0% of the enlarged issued and paid-up share capital of EWI post-listing.

Through a restricted offer, which has been approved by the Securities Commission Malaysia, EW Berhad’s shareholders and directors and eligible employees of its group will be entitled to subscribe for IPO Shares. This is to recognise their unwavering support and outstanding efforts in building up the ‘EcoWorld’ brand over the last three years, which partly contributed to the sales achieved by EWI of approximately RM 6.49 billion as at 31 January 2017.

EWI has recently signed three key agreements as part of its IPO process: (i) a share subscription agreement with GuocoLand Limited for a strategic 27% stake in EWI’s enlarged issued and paid-up share capital, (ii) a retail underwriting agreement with the six banks mentioned above to fully underwrite the Retail Offering, and (iii) cornerstone placement agreements  with the Employees  Provident  Fund Board,  Permodalan  Nasional Berhad and Kumpulan Wang Persaraan (Diperbadankan) (KWAP) , which have agreed to subscribe for 212,400,000 Shares in the aggregate.

President and CEO of EWI, Dato’ Teow Leong Seng said, “We are pleased with the interest shown by the Cornerstone Investors and we look forward to the opening of the Retail Offering and the Institutional Offering today.”

The Blue Application Form will be despatched together with the Prospectus to Entitled Shareholders of EW Berhad based on the record of depositors on 6 March 2017.

The Prospectus and White Application Forms for the Malaysian Public will be made available at the offices of most stockbrokers, merchant banks and Malaysian Issuing House Sdn Bhd as well as EW Berhad’s and EWI’s sales galleries. The Prospectus is available online at www.ecoworldinternational.com and on the website of Bursa Malaysia Securities Berhad at www.bursamalaysia.com.