(Reuters) -Ukraine's biggest mobile operator, Kyivstar, said on Thursday its shares will begin trading on the Nasdaq on August 15, making it the first Ukrainian company to be listed on a U.S. stock exchange.
Kyivstar's parent, telecoms group VEON, has pitched this IPO to attract foreign investors betting on Ukraine’s reconstruction, which hinges on prospects for peace with Russia.
The IPO coincides with a highly anticipated summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin
in Alaska, a meeting closely watched by Ukraine and European nations as a potential turning point in peace negotiations.
Robust activity in the U.S. IPO market has also encouraged companies to float shares among investors, who have shown renewed interest in new listings after a slump earlier this year caused by uncertainty from trade policy changes.
Kyivstar, owned by telecoms group VEON, is the market leader in Ukraine with more than 24 million subscribers.
Its revenue and profit have risen since Russia’s invasion, despite repeated cyberattacks and power outages.
The company has deepened its U.S. ties during the conflict, appointing former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to its board and signing a deal with Elon Musk's Starlink for satellite services.
Rothschild & Co acted as the lead financial advisor and capital markets advisor to VEON.
(Reporting by Gianluca Lo Nostro and Pritam Biswas in Bengaluru; Editing by Tasim Zahid)
