The head of Anheuser-Busch InBev is betting that a planned public listing in Asia will help the world’s largest brewer expand in the fast-growing region via acquisitions.
The company has been meeting investors since mid-June to gauge demand for the initial public offering of Budweiser APAC in Hong Kong, according to people familiar with the process, and will decide whether to press ahead in July, depending on price and market conditions.
Asked about the listing at a press event in Belgium, AB InBev chief executive Carlos Brito likened the potential sale of a minority stake in its Asian business to how the company used AmBev, its Brazilian listed subsidiary, to help convince owners of beer companies in Latin America to sell to AB InBev over the past 20 years.