Going around the world in two weeks to seize $20bn worth of share orders seems the work of dozens of people. Yet, Glencore’s two teams of only two people each have been able to amass that amount since May 4, about two times the $11bn they planned to raise ahead of the company’s initial public offering, Financial News has learned.

Ivan Glasenberg, chief executive of the Swiss commodities trading giant, and chief financial officer Steve Kalmin are leading the two teams that have toured the world meeting investors. One of the teams was in Barcelona on Wednesday, talking to some of the about 600 bankers and investors gathered at a mining conference, organised by Bank of America Merrill Lynch. The team had arrived in Spain en route from New York to London, one banker familiar with the situation said.