MON JUNE 29 2026-theGBJournal| Airtel Africa Plc on Monday disclosed that more than 595.2 million of its shares, valued at about £2.18 billion (approximately N5.2 trillion), were released from pledge in transactions involving entities closely associated with the company’s top leadership, according to a regulatory filing made under the UK Market Abuse Regulation.
The disclosure, published on June 25, and seen by theG&BJournal, relates to transactions completed on June 22 and concerns shares linked to parties associated with Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal, Vice Chairman Gopal Vittal and Director Shravin Bharti Mittal, underscoring a significant change in the status of a substantial holding.
The notification, made in accordance with the UK Market Abuse Regulation (MAR), was received by the company on June 25 and relates to transactions executed on June 22.
According to the filing, the first transaction involved Bharti Airtel Limited, identified as a person closely associated with Airtel Africa Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal and Vice Chairman Gopal Vittal.
The transaction was classified as a ‘Release of Pledge’ involving Airtel Africa’s ordinary shares with a nominal value of US$0.50 each.
The shares were released at a price of £3.659 per share, covering 595,204,251 shares, resulting in an aggregate transaction value of £2,177,852,354, equivalent to about N5.2 trillion.
A separate notification disclosed an identical release-of-pledge transaction by a person closely associated with Shravin Bharti Mittal, a director of Airtel Africa.
The filing showed the same number of shares, pricing and aggregate value.
The company did not indicate that the transactions involved the acquisition or disposal of shares.
Instead, the disclosures relate to the removal of a pledge over the shares, a process through which previously pledged securities are released after underlying obligations have been fulfilled or restructured.
Under the UK Market Abuse Regulation, listed companies are required to publicly disclose transactions conducted by persons discharging managerial responsibilities (PDMRs) and individuals or entities closely associated with them to enhance market transparency and inform investors of dealings involving senior executives and related parties.
The disclosure does not alter Airtel Africa’s issued share capital but provides investors with greater visibility into changes affecting significant insider-linked shareholdings.
X-@theGBJournal|Facebook-the Government and Business Journal|email:gbj@govbusinessjournal.com|govandbusinessj@gmail.com
