Anthropic Seeks $3 Billion to $3.5 Billion From Japanese Investors in Its IPO

Reports differ on where in that range the target now sits. Anthropic's original filing with Japan's Ministry of Finance on November 2 sought up to $3.5 billion, or ¥552.9 billion. Crypto Briefing reported that an updated prospectus dated November 10 lowered the Japanese target to $3 billion.

Either figure would set a record. SpaceX raised $2.2 billion from Japanese investors in its IPO in June, the previous high for a foreign company in Japan, and Nikkei Asia reported when the plan was first filed that the Anthropic tranche could exceed that sum by about 60 per cent.

The Japanese portion is a small slice of a much larger deal. Anthropic said in a regulatory filing on Tuesday that it will sell 825 million shares at between $70 and $78 each, which would raise more than $61 billion at the midpoint and value the company at about $1.3 trillion. The shares are expected to list on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the ticker "ANT". Separately, Anthropic has lined up a $26 billion private placement with strategic investors including Google and Nvidia.

In Japan, the shares are being offered through brokers including Mizuho Securities and Goldman Sachs. According to Crypto Briefing, the offering is aimed mainly at institutional investors, and allocations to individuals will be decided by lottery, which could leave retail buyers with fewer shares than they request.

The Japanese offer runs alongside a retail share sale in Australia, which is open to individual investors through local brokers until November 17. Trading in New York is expected to begin later this month, with November 19 cited as the likely first day.