Carlyle denies immediate IPO plans

The Carlyle Group has resumed deliberations about a possible public listing, according to a report in the Financial Times last week, although the firm denies such plans.

In an emailed statement, Carlyle said: “Carlyle has no plans to go public and if we ever do go public, it will be a long way off.”

The Financial Times, citing people familiar with the matter, said any IPO by Washington, D.C.-based Carlyle would be at least six to nine months away. It said the firm has not reached a decision on whether to list its shares.

A source familiar with Carlyle’s plans told Reuters that while it is something that Carlyle has considered for many years, and continues to do so, any possible IPO is several years off.

If Carlyle took such a route, it would follow rival The Blackstone Group, which listed in 2007, and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., which has announced plans to list through a complex transaction that involves buying its European fund.

The Financial Times reported that Carlyle’s interest in an IPO had been signaled in recent weeks by CFO Peter Nachtwey, a former Deloitte & Touche partner hired in 2007 after he worked on Blackstone’s listing.

The paper said that Nachtwey held talks with Blackstone about how it accounts for its holdings now that it is a listed company, citing a person familiar with the matter.

Blackstone was not immediately available for comment. —Megan Davies, Reuters