The Five major IPOs of 2026 and why you should care

Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) are no longer a geek affair. IPOs used to be a term used only by Finance professionals, but not any longer. Over the last two decades, word got out to the average man that one could actually make life-changing money by backing the right company before it goes public.

Peter Thiel, the technology industry’s cult hero, invested $500,000 in Facebook’s seed round. By the time Facebook went public (i.e., an IPO), his stake was worth over $1 billion. Masayoshi Son of Softbank backed Alibaba in 2000 with $20 million. By the time of the IPO, his stake was worth a staggering $58 billion, the largest investment in history.

A Nigerian version of this story is perfectly captured with the Moniepoint/Jim Ovia Story. Moniepoint is still a privately held company, but Ovia’s 20% stake in the business, which he acquired for $5.5m in 2019, is now worth north of $200 million by the latest valuations. If Moniepoints decides to go public in the future, the figures might double.

IPOs, however, are considered a late stage to invest in a company. They remain the best time for retail investors with a low risk appetite, limited capital, and limited information to try their hands after industry insiders have already made all the heavy profits.

Not many individuals can write a $5.5 million cheque for an unknown banking software called TeamApt and bet on it becoming the next Interswitch. The Big players might have exited the deal, but IPOs are still a pretty good investment opportunity for the average man.

5 major IPOs happening this year

2026 is a year of big IPOs. We are in the middle of the Artificial Intelligence bubble, and most of the big players in the Industry are going public to keep up with the competition. Running a global AI platform is capital-intensive and requires great technical infrastructure. Private capital can no longer keep up, so the major AI companies are all going public this year.

Besides AI, the world’s most successful space-tech company is preparing to go public, too. Other industries, such as Telecommunications and Fashion, are also represented on the list.

SpaceX

The SpaceX IPO happened three days ago, but it is still worth mentioning on this list. SpaceX, the space technology company founded by Trillionaire Elon Musk, completed the largest initial public offering (IPO) in history on June 12, 2026,

It debuted on the Nasdaq under the ticker symbol SPCX. The historic market debut raised an initial $75 billion, pushing the company’s valuation past $2.1 trillion and making Elon Musk the world’s first trillionaire.

Peter Thiel is once again one of SpaceX’s early backers, writing a $20 million cheque to the company alongside Luke Nosek in 2008. Other early backers, Pre-IPO, include Antonio Gracias of Valor Equity Partners, Draper Fisher Juvertson of DFJ Growth, and Justin Fishner-Wolfson of 137 Ventures.

OpenAI

The Pioneer AI company is neck-deep in a battle with Anthropic for a giant share of the global AI Market. OpenAI is preparing for a massive $1 trillion IPO by September, facilitated by Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley. The AI company is reportedly working towards an S-1 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A $ 1 trillion valuation puts OpenAI in the range of Nvidia, the world’s most valuable company, highly sought after for its chips. OpenAI’S flagship product ChatGPT took the world by storm before losing steam to newer brands like Claude and Deepseek.

Anthropic

Anthropic is currently the most valuable privately held AI company, following a Series H round that puts its valuation at $965 billion. The AI company has filed an S-1 with the Securities and Exchange Commission, days after news broke that OpenAI is planning a $1 trillion IPO.

Anthropic is the parent company of Claude, a highly sought-after AI platform in the global market. Claude’s high demand requires a robust technical infrastructure to keep it afloat, hence the need for public capital.

Despite the need for more funding, Anthropic is doing pretty okay for a business. In April, its annualised revenue topped $30 billion, and a company presentation in May showed it had soared to $47 billion.

Reliance JIO

India’s multinational company, Reliance, is prepping the country’s largest-ever listing, with a fundraising target of $4 billion to $6 billion. Reliance’s Jio is an Indian telecommunications giant boasting over 500 million subscribers and valued at about $170 billion.

The company is preparing to file its Draft Red Herring Prospectus (DRHP) that permits mega-firms to list with just a 2.5% public float. Reliance is seeking public funds to fund its 5G infrastructure, AI expansion, and Cloud services. The JIO IPO is slated for the second half of the year.

Shein

Fast-fashion retailer Shein has seen highs and lows, and a long-awaited IPO is reportedly taking place this year. A 2022 round put Shein’s valuation at $100 billion, but the number dropped to $66 billion the next year. Shein is currently valued at $50 billion, with an IPO expected this year.

Shein has experienced bottlenecks in its quest for an IPO. Shein originally wanted a US listing, but the deal fell through, forcing it to turn to London, where it was initially accepted by regulators but wasn’t backed by Chinese regulators. Shein has since focused on a Hong Kong listing.

IPOs are pretty decent investment opportunities and offer a win-win situation for both the company and investors. The AI industry is dominating IPOs this year, with Anthropic and OpenAI set to raise billions from their public listings.

Nvidia, the world’s most valuable company, had its IPO in 1999 with a market capitalisation of $562.8 million. The company is currently valued at $4.969 trillion, making it one of the world’s greatest wealth creation events.

Last updated: June 15, 2026