Dalian Wanda IPO Backed By $2 Billion In Pledges By KIA, Och-Ziff And Others: Source

HONG KONG (Reuters) -- The Kuwait Investment Authority, or KIA, and Och-Ziff Capital Management Group LLC are among a group of 11 investors that have committed about $2 billion toward Dalian Wanda Commercial Properties Co. Ltd.’s Hong Kong initial public offering, a person with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

Dalian Wanda, the world’s second-largest developer of shopping malls and office buildings, is set to launch the IPO Monday, as it looks to raise between $3.20 billion and $3.86 billion.

KIA, China Life Insurance Co. Ltd. and Ping An Insurance Group Co. of China Ltd. are pledging $300 million each for the IPO, while Och-Ziff is pledging $250 million and the Dutch pension fund APG is pledging $200 million, the source said.

Dalian Wanda Commercial Properties, a unit of billionaire Wang Jianlin’s Dalian Wanda Group, is offering 600 million new shares in a range between HK$41.80 and HK$49.80 each, giving the company a market value of between $20.8 billion and $24.7 billion, the Thomson Reuters publication IFR reported Saturday.

The companies mentioned could not immediately be reached for comment. The source declined to be identified as the information is not public.

(Reporting by Elzio Barreto; Editing by Denny Thomas and Robert Birsel)