<p class="title">The maker of Budweiser and Stella Artois beers has revived plans to list its Asia unit in Hong Kong, saying it wants to raise almost $5 billion in what would be the world's second-biggest initial public offering this year.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The decision by Belgium-listed Anheuser-Busch InBev to sell the stake will provide a much-needed boost to the Hong Kong stock exchange, which has been hit by months of sometimes violent protests in the city as well as the China-US trade war.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The world's biggest brewer had previously hoped to raise almost $10 billion in an IPO earlier in the year but the deal was pulled in July after it failed to garner enough support from institutional funds to meet the company's expectations.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Soon after it sold its assets in Australia -- including Foster's beer brand -- to Japanese mega-brewer Asahi for $11.3 billion, helping pare back some of its more than $100 billion debts, much of it stemming from its blockbuster 2016 acquisition of SABMiller.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Its new offering has the backing of Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC, with a commitment of $1 billion, the company said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">At a press conference on Tuesday the firm said it wanted to raise $4.8 billion with the sale of part of Budweiser Brewing Company APAC Ltd to help it push deeper into areas where it does not have a presence, such as Southeast Asia.</p>.<p class="bodytext">It said it would offer around 10 per cent of the firm in a price range of HK$27-HK$30 ($3.45-$3.80).</p>.<p class="bodytext">If it goes ahead, it would be the second-biggest IPO of 2019 after Uber raised $8.1 billion in May.</p>.<p class="bodytext">And Budweiser Brewing CEO Jan Craps threw his weight behind the beleaguered city, where more than three months of protests have hammered the economy and its once-strong reputation as a safe place to do business.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Hong Kong has a bright future as a financial centre. We are here for the long term," he told a news conference.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The listing will be a boon for Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing, which last week saw a surprise $32 billion bid for London Stock Exchange Group rejected as being too small.</p>
<p class="title">The maker of Budweiser and Stella Artois beers has revived plans to list its Asia unit in Hong Kong, saying it wants to raise almost $5 billion in what would be the world's second-biggest initial public offering this year.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The decision by Belgium-listed Anheuser-Busch InBev to sell the stake will provide a much-needed boost to the Hong Kong stock exchange, which has been hit by months of sometimes violent protests in the city as well as the China-US trade war.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The world's biggest brewer had previously hoped to raise almost $10 billion in an IPO earlier in the year but the deal was pulled in July after it failed to garner enough support from institutional funds to meet the company's expectations.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Soon after it sold its assets in Australia -- including Foster's beer brand -- to Japanese mega-brewer Asahi for $11.3 billion, helping pare back some of its more than $100 billion debts, much of it stemming from its blockbuster 2016 acquisition of SABMiller.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Its new offering has the backing of Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC, with a commitment of $1 billion, the company said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">At a press conference on Tuesday the firm said it wanted to raise $4.8 billion with the sale of part of Budweiser Brewing Company APAC Ltd to help it push deeper into areas where it does not have a presence, such as Southeast Asia.</p>.<p class="bodytext">It said it would offer around 10 per cent of the firm in a price range of HK$27-HK$30 ($3.45-$3.80).</p>.<p class="bodytext">If it goes ahead, it would be the second-biggest IPO of 2019 after Uber raised $8.1 billion in May.</p>.<p class="bodytext">And Budweiser Brewing CEO Jan Craps threw his weight behind the beleaguered city, where more than three months of protests have hammered the economy and its once-strong reputation as a safe place to do business.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Hong Kong has a bright future as a financial centre. We are here for the long term," he told a news conference.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The listing will be a boon for Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing, which last week saw a surprise $32 billion bid for London Stock Exchange Group rejected as being too small.</p>