• 2019 was lackluster year for IPO activity with deals and proceeds down overall
• Technology sector dominates with 263 IPOs raising US$62.8b in 2019
• 2020 expected to see more robust IPO activity, particularly in the first half of the year

Activity in Q4 2019 (353 IPOs and proceeds of US$84.5b) was 5% lower in deal volume and 53% higher by proceeds compared with Q4 2018. Two of the largest IPOs in 2019 came to the market in Q4, improving IPO activity for the quarter. These and other findings were published in the EY quarterly report, Global IPO trends: Q4 2019.

EMEIA IPO market buoyed by strong Q4 activity

In EMEIA, deal volumes (234) were down 47% in 2019; however, proceeds (US$54.2b) were up 14% — the only region to see a rise in proceeds in 2019. EMEIA exchanges also remained strong, accounting for three of the top ten exchanges globally by proceeds in 2019 (Saudi Arabia, UK and Germany) and four of global top ten IPOs by proceeds.

EMEIA IPO proceeds picked up strongly in Q4 2019 due to four mega IPOs, including Saudi Aramco, with a rise of 174% by proceeds but a decline of 45% by deal number compared with Q4 2018.

2020 outlook: more robust IPO activity, particularly in the first half of the year

Looking ahead, several uncertainties will subside in 2020. Trade tensions between the US, China and the EU; the outcome of Brexit; and uncertainty with respect to the stability some European economies will fade in early 2020 and will positively impact overall IPO sentiment. A healthy pipeline of IPO candidates means that within the right transaction window, IPO activity will pick up across all regions, particularly in the Americas where a number of large unicorns are expected to launch their IPOs in the US in the first half of 2020. This should see 2020 deal numbers exceed 2019 levels.

Commenting on the research findings, Stelios Demetriou, Partner and Head of Transaction Advisory Services of EY Cyprus, said: “After a poor year in terms of IPO activity, we expect that some of the geopolitical uncertainties and trade tensions that have plagued the IPO market will fade in 2020, with a positive impact on investors’ sentiment for IPOs and a modest upturn of IPO activity. Market volatility, however, will remain. Companies with the ambition of a successful IPO in the near-term will need to be prepared to take advantage of the windows of opportunity expected towards the second and third quarter of 2020.”

Americas IPO activity falls amid geopolitical and trade uncertainty

With 213 IPOs raising US$53.9b, deal volumes and proceeds of Americas IPO markets in 2019 fell compared with 2018 numbers by 20% and 10%, respectively. The US remained in the spotlight as the leading source of IPOs in 2019, accounting for 77% of Americas IPOs and 93% by proceeds, including 24 unicorn IPOs.

Canada’s Toronto Stock Exchange and Venture Exchange saw 18 IPOs, which raised US$295m, accounting for 8% of Americas IPO deals, while Brazil’s B3 exchange posted 5 IPOs over the year, with proceeds of US$2.3b, and Chile posted 2 IPOs, with total proceeds of US1.1b.

Asia-Pacific IPO markets remain resilient

Asia-Pacific continued to dominate global IPO activity, accounting for seven of the top ten exchanges globally by deal number and five of the top ten exchanges by proceeds in 2019. However, 2019 deal volumes (668 deals) were down by 1% versus 2018 and proceeds (US$89.9b) were down by 8%.

Japanese exchanges posted 89 IPOs in 2019, a 9% decrease in terms of volume compared to 2018, with proceeds of US$3.6b representing an 87% drop compared with 2018 proceeds. Due to the early success of Shanghai’s STAR market, Mainland China saw an increase in IPO activity in Q4 2019, which pushed 2019 deals volumes past 2018 by 89% (197 deals) and proceeds by 69% (US$35.7b). The Hong Kong Stock Exchange saw a 25% decline by deal number (154 IPOs), but a 4% increase by proceeds (US$37.9b).