An IPO (Initial Public Offering) is the moment a private company sells its shares to the public for the first time and lists on Bursa Malaysia. Before the IPO, the company is owned by its founders, family, or private investors. After it, anyone with a trading account can own a piece.
Why companies list
- To raise money for expansion: new factories, outlets, working capital (the "public issue").
- To let early owners cash out part of their stake (the "offer for sale").
- For credibility and visibility. A listed company is taken more seriously by banks, customers and partners.
The journey to listing
A Malaysian IPO passes through a public pipeline. The draft prospectus is exposed on the Securities Commission's website for public comment, then registered. The offer opens and retail investors apply, applications are balloted, and finally the shares list and trade for the first time. Each stage is public information, which is exactly what CISCOM tracks.
Why the first day gets all the attention
The gap between the offer price (what applicants pay) and the first-day price (what the market pays) is where most of the drama lives. Malaysian IPOs have historically opened above their offer price more often than not, but far from always, and the size of the move varies wildly. That is why demand signals like oversubscription matter so much.
Every Malaysian IPO since 2015, with terms, demand and outcomes, lives in the screener.
Open the screener →