Chinese Ecommerce juggernaut Alibaba has filed for its highly anticipated IPO this past Tuesday. The news could result in one of the biggest Initial Public Offerings ever.
The Chinese firm is planning on raising $1 billion before any finalized price is set later this year. The amount is projected to be higher though with experts stating it may surpass the $16.4 billion raised by social network Facebook back in 2012. Projections lean more towards the $17.9 billion raised by card company Visa prior to its IPO in 2008.
All though the filing has already taken place, no substantial information has been made available just yet. Alibaba’s 2,300 page long registration statement did not expand on offering price, what Exchange the American Depositary Shares would list on, or what the stock symbol would be.
Alibaba has been trying for quite some time to list the company on a relevant Stock Exchange . Plans on listing the firm on the Hong Kong stock exchange fell through after managerial and structural changes were needed to be eligible to be listed.
Alibaba executives at its Taiwanese Grand Opening
As the current numbers are not made available just yet, Alibaba was already valued at $40 billion following a bond offering in 2012. The registration made on Tuesday revealed numbers showing online shopping was responsible for only 8% of Alibaba’s earnings. However the segment is expected to grow by an annual rate of 27% through 2016.
Alibaba is mainly benefiting from the recent internet connection boom China has seen over the past few years with a current 618 million (46%) of residents connected to the web. That number is expected to reach 790 million by 2016.
Alibaba dominates the local Ecommerce with its Alipay mobile and online wallet, the most used payment platform in the country. However Alibaba has been set up against stiff competition this past year primarily from local firm Tencent. Both firms currently offer online shopping solutions, mPOS merchant support, taxi hailing, and vending machine support, each on their respective mobile platforms.
We will post more on Alibaba’s upcoming IPO when more information is made available.
Image courtesy of WikiMedia
