Libyan mobile telephone operators al Madar and Libyana will each list 30 percent stakes on the local stock exchange early next year, the chairman of the bourse told Reuters on Monday.
Suleiman Shehoumi said they would be among 20 firms expected to list in 2011 on the exchange, which has become a symbol of the gradual opening up of Libya's economy since international sanctions were lifted six years ago.
Asked about a timetable for the long-anticipated listings of the two state-controlled mobile operators, he said: "We expect it will be at the beginning of next year." "I expect there will be 20 new companies prepared to be on the exchange in 2011," he said in Beirut, Lebanon, where he is attending a conference.
He also said the planned listing of a 10 percent stake in the state-owned Libyan Iron and Steel Company would take place "very soon." There was a possibility that the firm would offer additional shares on the bourse later, he said.
The stock exchange was looking at attracting more initial public offerings by offering companies the option of dual listings with stock exchanges in neighbouring countries.
"Yes, it's interesting, we're thinking about it. We've already talked with Egypt and Tunisia about it and we're thinking seriously," Shehoumi said.