Ant Group Set to Be World's Largest IPO Ever

By
Deborah D'Souza
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Deborah D'Souza is the former news editor at Investopedia. She also writes articles that bring together information from across different financial fields.
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Published October 27, 2020

  • Ant Group, a fintech affiliate of Alibaba, expects to raise $35 billion
  • Market value set to rise to $313 billion before greenshoe option
  • Jack Ma will become 11th richest person in the world after IPO

China’s Ant Group is poised to raise almost $35 billion next week in what looks set to be a record-breaking initial public offering (IPO). In order to make history, it needs to eclipse Saudi Aramco's $29.4 billion IPO earlier this year.

The fintech company affiliated with e-commerce giant Alibaba Group will go public via a dual-listing in Shanghai and Hong Kong on Nov. 5. In each location, the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and Shanghai's Star Market, 1.67 billion new shares will be issued. This translates to 11% of the company. Ant is expected to have a market value of around $313 billion, as per the share prices chosen.

Reports say investor response has been sensational, and the amount raised could increase by $5.2 billion if a 15% over-allotment or greenshoe option is exercised. According to CNN Business, Ant is closing its Hong Kong institutional book building on Wednesday, a day earlier than scheduled, because of strong demand from global institutional investors. The Hong Kong shares were oversubscribed within the first hour of pricing.

Alibaba founder Jack Ma's 8.8% stake in Ant will make him the 11th richest person in the world and solidify his position as the richest man in China with a net worth of $71.1 billion, according to Bloomberg. As of Oct. 26, he was in the 17th position globally, having added $14 billion to his fortune so far in 2020.

Ant has reportedly raised some $20 billion since 2015, which represents more than a third of VC investment in China-based fintechs over the period, according to PitchBook data. Almost 40% of its revenue comes from its consumer credit business and 36% from digital payments.

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  1. CNN Business. "Ant Group raises $34 billion in world's largest IPO."

  2. Bloomberg. "Jack Ma Becomes Richer Than Walmart Heirs With Mega Ant IPO."

  3. Pitchbook. "Ant Group aims for world's largest IPO."

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