Shawbrook Bank could be filing for an initial public offering (IPO) on the London Stock Exchange, according to people familiar with the matter.

The Financial Times has reported that the UK bank’s private equity owners could issue an intention to float the bank as early as Thursday next week.

BC Partners and Pollen Street Capital, which have owned Shawbrook since 2017, are valuing it at up to £2bn.

Shawbrook’s owners have previously eyed up mergers with other UK lenders in the past two years, including rumoured talks with Metro Bank and Co-Operative Bank.

An IPO for Shawbrook, which would come before financial information and due diligence on the bank is out of date, would mark the largest listing on London’s market this year and provide it with a boost following a quiet period for new listings in the UK.

According to London Stock Exchange data, the UK’s capital is on course for its lowest number of IPOs on record this year, with just nine companies listing across the main market and junior AIM to date.

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