SPH holds about 0.1% of South Korean e-commerce company Coupang

SINGAPORE Press Holdings (SPH) said its indirect stake in South Korean e-commerce company Coupang is estimated at 0.1 per cent.

The announcement follows a report by The Business Times (BT) on Thursday, Feb 25 highlighting potential returns for Coupang's existing investors if a proposed initial public offering (IPO) takes place.

SPH, which publishes BT, said in a statement on Saturday it had invested US$3.9 million in Coupang back in 2014 via a special purpose vehicle. (See amendment note.)

"SPH continually explores and evaluates all opportunities across its portfolio to enhance shareholder value and strengthen its financial performance," the statement said.

"SPH is not involved in the management of Coupang nor in the IPO process. The potential IPO of Coupang is not expected to affect the recurring financial performance of SPH," the statement continued, advising shareholders to exercise caution when dealing in the company's shares.

On Feb 12, Coupang filed its prospectus to go public on the New York Stock Exchange. Its expected valuation of US$50 billion could make this the largest listing by a foreign company in New York since Alibaba's 2014 IPO.

On that valuation, SPH's stake would be worth US$50 million.

Shares of SPH rose 9.4 per cent or S$0.12 on Friday, to close at S$1.40, on unusually high trading volume.

Amendment note: An earlier version of this article gave the incorrect currency for SPH's investment in Coupang.