AB InBev Adds BNP, Citigroup, HSBC to Asia Unit IPO

(Bloomberg) -- Anheuser-Busch InBev NV has added at least three more investment banks to help arrange the initial public offering of its Asia Pacific operations, people with knowledge of the matter said.

BNP Paribas SA, Citigroup Inc., HSBC Holdings Plc have been brought on as joint bookrunners for the planned Hong Kong IPO, according to the people, who asked not to be identified because the information is private. AB InBev is targeting a July listing for the business in a deal that could raise at least $5 billion, Bloomberg News reported last week.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Morgan Stanley are leading the share sale as joint sponsors, according to pre-listing documents filed with the Hong Kong exchange. Bank of America Corp. and Deutsche Bank AG are also working on the deal as joint global coordinators, people familiar with the matter said previously.

The deal, set to become one of Asia’s biggest listings this year, will help AB InBev reduce its debt pile and pursue acquisition opportunities in the fast-growing region. The company has already cornered the premium market in China and has been buying up local craft beer brands to reach fashionable millennials with a taste for more expensive brews.

A representative for AB InBev didn’t immediately respond to emailed queries outside regular European business hours. Representatives for BNP, Citigroup and HSBC declined to comment.

To contact the reporters on this story: Crystal Tse in Hong Kong at ctse44@bloomberg.net;Ruth David in London at rdavid9@bloomberg.net;Vinicy Chan in Hong Kong at vchan91@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Fion Li at fli59@bloomberg.net, ;Daniel Hauck at dhauck1@bloomberg.net, Amy Thomson, Ben Scent

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