Morgan Stanley accidentally leaks 100-plus deal pipeline, including India IPOs: Report
The document covered potential IPOs in India, China, and South Korea. It also identified private-equity firms and pension funds backing some of the companies, and included transactions that had been put on hold
- Sep 23, 2026,
- Updated Sep 23, 2026 10:57 PM IST
Morgan Stanley accidentally sent clients an internal list of more than 100 potential investment-banking deals across Asia, exposing details of transactions the bank was pursuing or tracking, including possible deals in India, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday.
The document covered potential IPOs in India, China, and South Korea, the report said. It also identified private-equity firms and pension funds backing some of the companies, and included transactions that had been put on hold.
The file was sent by Mohamed Atmani, Morgan Stanley's Asia-Pacific head of financial sponsors in its investment-banking division, according to people familiar with the matter. Atmani later tried to recall the email.
He had meant to send clients a separate version containing general information on the private-equity industry and recent transactions. Instead, the internal file went out, with some sections containing price-sensitive information, Bloomberg reported.
The document focused largely on Asia but also contained deals in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. A blurred version of the list was later posted on Instagram.
Atmani, a Hong Kong-based managing director, joined Morgan Stanley in 2018.
Morgan Stanley said it acted quickly after the information was shared. "We promptly took steps to address this inadvertent sharing of information, and we continue to engage with relevant parties," the New York-based bank told Bloomberg.
Morgan Stanley has been a leading underwriter of Hong Kong stock sales and Asia mergers for years.
The Morgan Stanley incident comes after several recent data-security problems involving financial institutions.
A unit of First American Financial exposed 885 million documents containing customer information because of cybersecurity weaknesses. The exposure came to light in May 2019. In November 2023, New York's top financial regulator fined the company $1 million for concealing those flaws.
Morgan Stanley accidentally sent clients an internal list of more than 100 potential investment-banking deals across Asia, exposing details of transactions the bank was pursuing or tracking, including possible deals in India, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday.
The document covered potential IPOs in India, China, and South Korea, the report said. It also identified private-equity firms and pension funds backing some of the companies, and included transactions that had been put on hold.
The file was sent by Mohamed Atmani, Morgan Stanley's Asia-Pacific head of financial sponsors in its investment-banking division, according to people familiar with the matter. Atmani later tried to recall the email.
He had meant to send clients a separate version containing general information on the private-equity industry and recent transactions. Instead, the internal file went out, with some sections containing price-sensitive information, Bloomberg reported.
The document focused largely on Asia but also contained deals in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. A blurred version of the list was later posted on Instagram.
Atmani, a Hong Kong-based managing director, joined Morgan Stanley in 2018.
Morgan Stanley said it acted quickly after the information was shared. "We promptly took steps to address this inadvertent sharing of information, and we continue to engage with relevant parties," the New York-based bank told Bloomberg.
Morgan Stanley has been a leading underwriter of Hong Kong stock sales and Asia mergers for years.
The Morgan Stanley incident comes after several recent data-security problems involving financial institutions.
A unit of First American Financial exposed 885 million documents containing customer information because of cybersecurity weaknesses. The exposure came to light in May 2019. In November 2023, New York's top financial regulator fined the company $1 million for concealing those flaws.