DUBAI, Feb 27 (Reuters) - The Dubai government is selling a 24.99% stake in Parkin, which oversees public parking operations in the emirate, through an initial public offering in the emirate's first privatisation deal this year, Parkin said in a statement on Tuesday.

Parkin's shareholder, Dubai Investment Fund, plans to sell all of the 749.7 million shares in the offering, the firm said, adding it expects to make its bourse debut next month.

The offering begins on March 5, with a price range announced on the same day, and the subscription period ends on March 12 for retail investors and on March 13 for qualified investors.

Reuters was first to report in June last year that the Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) was considering strategic options for its parking business and invited banks to pitch for roles in a potential IPO.

Parkin operated about 179,000 paid public parking spaces across the Dubai emirate as of the end of last year, of which 4,000 or so were at multi-storey car parks. It also manages an additional 18,000 spaces at developer-owned facilities, it said.

The RTA is monetising assets on behalf of the Dubai government as part of a wider privatisation programme to list state-linked companies and boost attention to its exchange.

The RTA raised $1 billion from the sale of a 25% stake in toll-road operator Salik in 2022 and another $315 million in December from the sale of another 24.99% stake in Dubai Taxi Corporation, its public taxi business.

Both deals garnered strong demand from investors; books were oversubscribed multiple times.

A post-COVID economic rebound, neutral political stance, ease of doing business, convenient time zones, and tax-free status have all contributed to Dubai's attracting droves of wealthy individuals in recent years.

The number of residents in the city jumped by 100,240, official statistics show, reaching 3.65 million people on at the end of last year, compared with 3.55 million people on Jan. 1, 2023.

Rothschild was appointed as independent financial adviser while Emirates NBD, Goldman Sachs and HSBC are acting as joint global coordinators and joint bookrunners.

After the offering, Parkin plans to pay a semi-annual dividend in April and October, chief financial officer Khattab Abu Qaoud said. He added that the minimum dividend payout for 2024 would be more than the net profit for the year, or exceed free cash flow to equity.

Companies domiciled in the Gulf Cooperation Council raised $11 billion in IPO proceeds in 2023, down 45% from 2022. GCC IPOs accounted for 40% of proceeds raised in EMEA during 2023, down from 56% during 2022, LSEG data showed.

Parkin reported revenues of 779 million dirhams ($212.11 million) in 2023, up 14% from a year earlier, while its core profit rose 23% to 414 million dirhams.

($1 = 3.6726 UAE dirham)

https://www.reuters.com/markets/deals/dubais-parkin-sell-2499-stake-ipo-gulf-news-reports-2024-02-27/