Alibaba Group’s staggering initial public offering (IPO) of $25 billion shattered all records and became the largest IPO ever.1 But how does the Alibaba number compare to other massive IPOs? Here, we've compiled a list of the 10 biggest IPOs of all time. The list may surprise you. Only one U.S.‑based company made the top five (hint: it wasn’t Facebook). Chinese companies comprise three of the top five IPOs.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Companies go public via an IPO to raise capital for their businesses, with some IPOs raking in billions of dollars.
Here, we list 10 of the most successful IPOs in history.
Three of the top 10 spots belong to Chinese companies, including Alibaba at #1.
1) Alibaba Group Holding Limited
Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE: BABA), a diversified online e-commerce company based in China, went public on September 18, 2014, at a whopping $21.8 billion.2 Four days later, underwriters exercised an option to sell more shares, bringing the total IPO to $25 billion. Although technology companies traditionally list on NASDAQ, Alibaba chose the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) for its debut and had its IPO underwritten primarily by Credit Suisse.3
