SmartNews Said to Hire Mitsubishi UFJ, Nomura for Tokyo Listing

Japan’s news aggregation app operator SmartNews Inc. has hired Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities Co. and Nomura Holdings Inc. as lead managers for its initial public offering, according to a person familiar with the matter.

SmartNews, valued at $2 billion in 2021, may list in Tokyo as early as next year, the person said, asking not to be identified because the information isn’t public.

SmartNews app.

Source: SmartNews Inc.

The Japanese firm has met global investors in regions including Hong Kong, Singapore, New York and London to gauge investors’ interest, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

SmartNews said in an e-mailed response ...