Chinese online mall JD.com files for Hong Kong second listing

[HONG KONG] China's No 2 online retailer JD.com has filed for a second Hong Kong listing, hot on the heels of NetEase's US$2.70 billion share sale in the city, as the US-listed firms seek a foothold closer to home amid rising US-China tensions.

JD.com filed a preliminary prospectus on Friday with the Hong Kong stock exchange, which doesn't contain any share sale details. The company could launch the offering to raise at least US$2 billion as soon as next week, Bloomberg News has reported. The filing comes on the same day online gaming firm NetEase told prospective investors it was planning to price its Hong Kong listing at HK$123 (S$22.21) each.

Escalating tensions between Washington and Beijing are increasing risks for Chinese companies like JD and NetEase who seek to broaden their investor base. US capital markets are becoming frosty toward Chinese firms, and there have been fears over the impact of national security legislation set to be imposed on Hong Kong, including the resumption of protests in the city.

The twin debuts would follow Alibaba Group Holding's US$13 billion Hong Kong stock sale last year, hailed as a homecoming for Chinese companies and a win for the Hong Kong stock exchange, which lost many of the largest tech corporations to US bourses because it didn't allow dual-class share voting at the time - a requirement that's since been relaxed.

Bank of America, UBS Group and CLSA are joint sponsors of JD's Hong Kong share sale.

BLOOMBERG

GET BT IN YOUR INBOX DAILY

Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox.

Sign UpVIEW ALL