A source told Reuters that 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) had increased the target for the initial public offering of its energy assets. The IPO target for the state investor was now raised to USD 3 billion, the person with direct knowledge of the matter added. According to Reuters, this target would make the offering of the largest IPOs in Southeast Asia. Earlier speculations placed the target range from USD 1 billion to USD 2 billion.
Chaired by Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, 1MDB's IPO would enable to repay the debt it had amassed in its acquisition of power plants. The fund's debt load levels as well as its questionable debt offerings amounting to USD 4.75 billion had also placed 1MDB in a negative light.
However, another source told Reuters that the fund's debt load was within manageable limits. The person said, "The higher debt is backed by strong assets, so this IPO could be as big as Felda Global Ventures." Malaysian palm oil firm Felda Global Ventures raised USD 3.2 billion in its 2012 IPO.
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