Budweiser maker AB InBev surprises IPO bankers as it scraps listing

As investors pummelled Anheuser-Busch InBev NV’s stock and bonds after the Budweiser maker scrapped what would have been the year’s largest initial public offering, little did they know Chief Executive Officer Carlos Brito had a Plan B that’s been in the works for months.

A week after pulling a share sale of its Asian business, AB InBev on Friday agreed to sell its Australian unit — part of the portfolio that had been offered to investors — to Asahi Group Holdings. A Hong Kong listing would have fetched as much as $9.8 billion; the sale to the Japanese company is valued