ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s first non-life Shariah-compliant takaful operator announced on Thursday that its initial public offering (IPO) was oversubscribed 21 times at the country’s stock exchange, saying the development reflected strong investor confidence in the Islamic insurance system.

The Pak-Qatar General Takaful Limited said earlier this month it would issue 30 million shares with a floor price of Rs 10 and a ceiling price of Rs 14 per share. Institutional investors will receive 75 percent of the shares on offer, while the remaining 25 percent will be allocated to retail investors, it added.

“Pak-Qatar General Takaful Limited’s (PQGTL) IPO book-building has concluded with a historic oversubscription of [21x] times, marking the first-ever IPO of a dedicated General Takaful company at PSX,” the company said in a statement.

It said investors responded “strongly” as the strike price closed at Rs 14 per share, compared to the floor price of Rs 10. Total demand reached Rs 4.74 billion [$17 million].

The company said successful bidders will be provisionally allotted 22.5 million shares while the remaining 7.5 million shares will be offered to retail investors on Jan. 28-29.