Saudi Aramco is on track to become a public company in 2021, Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said during an oil conference in Abu Dhabi. Gulf News quoted the official as saying Aramco was the world’s most important and most valuable oil company. “This bodes well for the company’s bond plans, which will be launched in a few months, ahead of the acquisition of Sabic shares from PIF [Public Investment Fund] and of course the IPO [which is] not too distant in the future.” Al-Falih said earlier that Aramco was planning to issue its first international bond, probably worth around US$10 billion, to fund part of the acquisition of a majority stake in petrochemical giant Sabic from the Saudi sovereign wealth fund. The 70-percent stake was calculated at between US$50 and US$70 billion. Last year, media reported that Aramco was planning a US$40-billion bond sale to fund the acquisition that […]