Ever since the plans for listing a 5% stake of prized state oil giant Saudi Aramco were announced last year, it has repeatedly been heralded as the soon-to-be world’s largest IPO.

Slated for issuance in late-2018, Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman, who is the key driver behind the much-vaunted Vision 2030 economic diversification plan, has estimated Aramco’s value at $2 trillion. (CONTINUED - 2302 WORDS)