Snapchat picks Morgan Stanley & Goldman Sachs for IPO
Snapchat’s planned IPO has got a lot more serious. It has appointed Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs to lead the deal, with assistance from JP Morgan, Deutsche Bank, Allen & Co., Barclays, and Credit Suiss.
With banking facilities in place the photo-sharing platform could list as early as March with a valuation of as much as $25bn – although the social media firm is likely to keep one eye on the US election and capital market performance before committing itself to a specific date.
Snapchat, now known as Snap Inc, is viewed as the most eagerly anticipated float since Alibaba went public in 2014 at $25bn.
Snap Inc has been performing strongly in recent months, generating up to $350m in advertising revenue this year with total revenues for 2017 expected to reach $1bn.