Nasdaq and the NYSE are proposing to let companies raise capital through direct listings on their exchanges, in what could be a cheaper alternative to IPOs pitched by Wall Street banks. So far direct listings have only been used to offer existing shares to public investors, resulting in lower fees than traditional IPOs.
“In a period of time where fewer companies have been going public [and] companies are waiting longer to go public, we wanted to make sure we’re continuing to create pathways for companies to the public markets,” said John Tuttle, vice-chairman and chief commercial officer of NYSE.