Prosus' value instantly soared to around 123 billion euros ($136 billion) according to the Bloomberg news agency, making the group the largest to trade on the Amsterdam stock exchange after Shell and Unilever.
The subsidiary groups all of Naspers' internet investments outside of its home market, with investors in particular interested in its 32 percent stake in Shenzhen-based internet giant Tencent. "The listing of Prosus is an exciting step forward for the group, giving global technology investors direct access to our unique and attractive portfolio of international consumer internet businesses," Bob van Dijk, Prosus and Naspers chief executive, said in a statement.
Prosus shares jumped by 29 percent above their referenced price of 58.70 euros shortly after trading opened, before slowing slightly by midmorning to go up 27 percent at 74.41 euros in Amsterdam. The group also has a secondary listing in Johannesburg. Naspers retains a 73 percent stake in Prosus, it said.
Founded in 1915 as Die Nasionale Pers (The National Press), Naspers initially published newspapers in Afrikaans, the language spoken by the descendants of Dutch immigrants in South Africa.