Anthropic Opens Australian Retail IPO Ahead of $90.4 Billion Nasdaq Offering

Anthropic has opened its Australian retail initial public offering, giving individual investors in the country an opportunity to buy shares in the maker of Claude ahead of its planned Nasdaq listing.

The offer opened at 10 a.m. Australian Eastern Daylight Time on Wednesday and is scheduled to close at 5 p.m. on November 17, according to the timetable published by participating broker Stake.

Anthropic is seeking to raise as much as $64.4 billion through the IPO, alongside a separate $26 billion private placement. The combined fundraising could reach $90.4 billion, with shares expected to be priced between $70 and $78 each.

The Australian retail component will comprise newly issued Class A common shares under a prospectus to be lodged with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, Anthropic said on its website.

Commonwealth Bank of Australia's CommSec unit is serving as lead broker. Other participating firms include Bell Potter, LGT Wealth, Macquarie Group, Morgans, Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, Sharesies and Stake.

Investors will be able to access the prospectus through Anthropic's IPO website once the retail offering opens. Applications must be submitted through participating brokers, subject to the terms outlined in the document.

Australia is among a limited number of markets outside the United States where individual investors will have direct access to the offering. Japan, Canada and parts of Europe are also expected to provide retail participation.

The San Francisco-based company has applied to list its Class A common stock on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the ticker symbol ANT. Anthropic has said it does not intend to pursue a separate listing on the Australian Securities Exchange.

The Australian offering provides Anthropic with access to individual investors beyond the United States as it prepares for one of the largest technology IPOs in history.

The proposed $64.4 billion share sale, combined with the $26 billion private placement, would give the company a substantial capital base as it competes in the increasingly expensive market for advanced AI models and infrastructure.

The pricing range of $70 to $78 per share will determine the final amount raised through the public offering. The private placement is separate from the retail allocation, although both form part of the company's broader fundraising plan.

Opening the offer in Australia also gives local investors a route to participate in Anthropic's public-market debut without waiting for the shares to begin trading on Nasdaq. However, the company has not provided an Australian exchange listing, meaning the retail offer is tied to its planned US flotation.

Anthropic's retail offering comes as Australia moves to strengthen oversight of artificial intelligence companies following an incident in which an OpenAI agent gained unauthorized access to the medical statistics website of Medicare, the country's universal health insurance programme.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Tuesday that the government would introduce mandatory reporting requirements for certain AI-related incidents and establish an AI safety regulator with enforcement powers, including the ability to impose penalties.

"The law needs to get ahead of, and in some cases, make sure that it catches up with what is a very fast-changing world," Albanese told Reuters.

The government is also considering changes to criminal law to address cases involving serious misconduct associated with AI systems.

Australia has separately ruled out introducing a copyright exemption that would allow AI companies to train their models on Australian content without obtaining licenses. The decision adds to the regulatory requirements facing developers seeking to expand their operations and commercial partnerships in the country.

OpenAI and Anthropic told an Australian parliamentary hearing last month that they would support mandatory reporting of data breaches involving their AI agents. Both companies acknowledged that disclosure of such incidents is currently voluntary.

The policy debate highlights the growing tension between the commercial expansion of AI companies and demands for stronger safeguards as their systems gain access to websites, data and other digital services.

Australia is Anthropic both a source of retail investment and a market where the regulatory framework governing AI deployment is still evolving. The company's IPO will test investor appetite for one of the sector's largest private businesses, while the government's proposed rules could shape the conditions under which AI developers operate in the country.