Bloomberg Reports ParshipMeet Group is Eyeing IPO in Germany

23rd February 2021 Dominic Whitlock

A report from Bloomberg has suggested that ParshipMeet Group is considering an IPO on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange in Germany.

When the new holding company was formed in September one of the main goals was a public listing in 2022. ProSiebenSat.1 acquired The Meet Group and its subsidiaries, a business that was previously traded on the Nasdaq market.

No final decisions have been made at this stage, but there is believed to be growing interest among German brands to list on their home market due to recent rising prices.

Bloomberg’s data shows IPOs on the country’s exchanges have returned approximately $2.6 billion in 2021. This means it is on course for registering its second-best first quarter in over a decade.

ParshipMeet Group is also taking additional confidence from renewed interest in the online dating industry, ignited by Bumble’s record-breaking flotation earlier this month.

The female-first social app raised $2.2 billion before the opening bell and share prices jumped by more than two-thirds in its first week of trading. Founder and CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd became the youngest woman to take her company public and joined an exclusive list of self-made female billionaires.

There was speculation that ParshipMeet Group might fast-track its IPO plans due to mounting debts across ProSiebenSat.1. However, CEO Rainer Beaujean put a halt to the rumours by saying more time was needed to assess the online dating arm’s finances.

Speaking in November, Beaujean told Reauters: “2022 is the goal because we need a full year (of results) as a comparison. We will definitely not go before Dec. 31, 2021.”