Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih told CNBC on Thursday that the state-owned oil company Saudi Aramco could still go public on an exchange outside the country before the end of the year if the timing is right. "We're ready to do it in the second half if we determine the timing is optimum," Al-Falih said, but noted he doesn't "see 2018 as a necessary year to list unless it's optimum."
Aramco is expected to first list in Saudi Arabia, but is still looking for a "potential secondary venue and the timing" for its initial public offering (IPO). The Saudi minister added that the New York Stock Exchange remains an option for the company's international IPO.
Earlier this week, reports emerged the largest Saudi Arabian state-owned oil firm will delay its international listing until next year and will only go public on the Tadawul exchange in Riyadh in the second half of 2018.
