HONG KONG - China’s shock suspension of Ant Group’s record $37 billion listing in a last-minute regulatory ambush looks set to hit the financial technology giant’s growth prospects and cut into its valuation.
That said, analysts and investors expect the dual Hong Kong and Shanghai listing to be delayed and not completely derailed. The exact nature of the regulators’ concerns and just how long a suspension might last is not known. The Shanghai bourse described the meeting as a material event that could cause Ant to be disqualified from listing.
The move by regulators has been interpreted as an effort to cut Ma down to size after he made a speech at an event last month attended by Chinese regulators that criticised the financial and regulatory system as stifling innovation. Analysts pointed to a consultation paper issued by the People’s Bank of China and the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission on Monday that recommends the tightening of regulations for online micro-lending companies - which in retrospect foreshadowed the regulators’ move against Ant.
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