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The owner of photo-sharing app Snapchat is reportedly lining up a flotation on the US stock market that could value it at up to $25 billion (£20 billion).
California-based Snap Inc, Snapchat’s parent company, is said to be planning to go public as soon as March in what would be the biggest flotation since Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba’s initial public offering (IPO) in 2014.
It is thought that Snap made the filing for the listing confidentially before Donald Trump’s US presidential victory.
Snapchat launched in 2012 as a free mobile app allowing users to send photos that expire within seconds.
It now has more than 100 million daily active users, which is more than social media giant Twitter.
Snapchat’s parent group announced in September that it was renaming the company to Snap Inc as it develops further products, including sunglasses with a built-in video camera.
The new wearables, called Spectacles, record 10 second clips on a tiny integrated video camera which are then transferred directly to the Snapchat app via wi-fi or Bluetooth.
— Spectacles (@Spectacles) November 13, 2016
Bright yellow vending machines have begun to appear in parts of the US that will sell Spectacles for $129 (£103).
The machines, called Snapbots, feature a cartoon-like face and are topped with balloons.
Snap Inc is yet to comment on the reports.
