BERLIN, Dec 17 (Reuters) - Franco-German defence group KNDS plans to launch an initial public offering (IPO) in Paris and Frankfurt next year, subject to market conditions, it said on Wednesday. The
KNDS to Pursue Dual IPO in Paris and Frankfurt by 2026
BERLIN, Dec 17 (Reuters) - Franco-German defence group KNDS plans to launch an initial public offering (IPO) in Paris and Frankfurt next year, subject to market conditions, it said on Wednesday.
The long-expected IPO will support KNDS’s long-term growth strategy, broadening its access to capital markets and enabling continued investment in industrial capacity, technology and innovation, it said in a statement.
Last year, KNDS had sales of 3.8 billion euros ($4.45 billion), up from 3.3 billion euros in 2023. Its order intake, which was 11.2 billion euros in 2024, remained strong during 2025, it said.
European defence firms have been boosted by a surge in military spending since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, as governments have moved to bolster their own security while supplying Kyiv with weapons and ammunition.
Formed in 2015 with the merger of Germany's Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) - the maker of Leopard tanks - and French state-owned weapons maker Nexter, KMW's previous private owners and the French government are joint shareholders in the company.
KNDS CEO Jean-Paul Alary suggested in September that the German government might take a stake in the company.
KNDS said Christian Schulz, former CFO of RENK Group, will join the board of directors from January, bringing with him experience in IPOs.
($1 = 0.8533 euros)
(Writing by Madeline ChambersEditing by Ludwig Burger)
