Airtel delays IPO of mobile money unit to second half of 2026

Airtel Africa Plc said it plans an initial public offering of its mobile money business in the second half of this year, delaying the sale by a few months.

The company controlled by billionaire Sunil Mittal’s Bharti Enterprises Ltd. could raise between $1.5 billion and $2 billion selling shares in London, Bloomberg reported last month.

Airtel delayed the proposed IPO to the second half of the year from the first because of the war in Iran, according to a statement following the announcement of its earnings.

Airtel has long been planning an IPO of Airtel Money after years of rapid growth. Mobile-money operators in sub-Saharan Africa conducted $1.4 trillion of transactions in 2025, according to GSM Association. That’s 66% of global activity.

Airtel Money has a series of international investors including TPG Inc., Mastercard Inc., and an affiliate of Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund.

Africa has become a hub for fintech companies looking to tap a young population increasingly using technology for banking services.

Airtel Africa operates in 14 countries and is listed in London and Lagos. It’s one of several businesses controlled by Mittal, who together with his family has a net worth of more than $24.5 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.