China funds targeting Ant IPO rake in $9 billion from over 10 million investors
SHANGHAI (Reuters) – Five newly launched Chinese funds targeting Ant Group’s upcoming mega stock listing raised 60 billion yuan ($8.93 billion) cumulatively from more than 10 million retail investors, selling out within days, the funds’ distributor said.
© Reuters/ALY SONG
FILE PHOTO: Alipay logo is pictured at the Shanghai office of Alipay, owned by Ant Group which is an affiliate of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, in Shanghai
An average of eight investors placed orders each second during the subscription period, highlighting retail frenzy over Ant’s initial public offering (IPO) despite possible U.S. sanctions against the Chinese fintech giant.
The rush also underscores the marketing clout of Ant’s online payment platform Alipay, the sole third-party distributor of the five mutual funds that threatens to disrupt traditional fund sales models.
Ant , Alibaba Group’s fintech arm, aims to raise about $35 billion in a dual listing in Hong Kong and Shanghai’s STAR