that primary direct listings would allow companies to sidestep shareholder protections built into the traditional IPO process, thus putting investors at greater risk."This is a great innovation for the market, and companies will want to make use of it," said Trace Schmeltz, partner and co-chair of Barnes & Thornburg's financial and regulatory group.
Regulators say there will be the same diligence and protections in place for direct listings as there are for IPOsThe SEC, for instance, noted that the financial-services firms doing diligence for direct listings are the same investment banks that handle the underwriting process in IPOs, ultimately performing the same protection and transparency.
"Basically, [the SEC] concluded that there are no more material concerns with direct listings, than there would be with IPOs," said Schmeltz. "So they expect you'll have adequate investor protection for direct listings the same way you do with initial public offerings.
"That's money being left on the table for the companies," said Khadavi. Direct listings, on the other hand, could solve that problem by potentially reducing the gap between the initial price — set by bankers during the underwriting process — and the pops that may occur on the first day of trading.
A cutesy new way to launder money?