Chinese companies go to Switzerland to raise money with stock listings

BEIJING — Chinese language corporations seeking to elevate money abroad have turned to Switzerland — and gotten speedy regulatory approval to take action.

That is in accordance with Baker McKenzie, which mentioned it acted as authorized advisor for the primary 4 Chinese language corporations to listing shares through a brand new inventory join program with Switzerland on July 28. The businesses raised about $1.5 billion.

The China securities regulator authorised the brand new share issuance in “just some weeks,” mentioned Wang Cling, a accomplice at Baker McKenzie’s capital markets observe in Beijing. He famous the approval course of for different share issuances might take just a few months and even half a 12 months.

The China Securities Regulatory Fee didn’t instantly reply to a CNBC request for remark.

The most recent listings usually are not preliminary public choices, however mirror a brand new channel for Chinese language corporations listed on the mainland China A share market to boost capital abroad.

The 4 corporations — GEM, Gotion Excessive-tech, Keda Industrial Group and Ningbo Shanshan — issued world depositary receipts (GDR) on the Six Swiss Trade as a part of a brand new China-Swiss inventory join program with the Shanghai and Shenzhen exchanges. The 4 corporations function in new vitality or manufacturing industries.

Chinese language corporations’ entry to abroad capital markets has come below elevated scrutiny for the reason that high-profile suspension of Ant Group’s deliberate IPO in late 2020 and Beijing’s crackdown on Didi in the summertime of 2021.

On the Chinese language facet, new laws round person privateness and nationwide safety have raised the bar for abroad public choices. Potential failure to succeed in an audit settlement with the U.S. threatens the delisting of many Chinese language corporations from New York inventory exchanges.

However corporations seeking to listing in mainland China and Hong Kong usually face extra stringent necessities than within the U.S. market.

An EY report discovered that as of June 14, greater than 920 corporations had been in line to go public in mainland China and Hong Kong. That was little modified from March.

Whereas Chinese language corporations await readability on a sooner IPO course of, some which can be capable of are turning to Switzerland.

A consumer considering a Hong Kong IPO determined to prioritize a GDR itemizing in Switzerland, and pursue a Hong Kong itemizing later, Wang mentioned, citing a dialog the morning of Thursday, July 28.

Since information of the forthcoming China-Swiss join program earlier this 12 months, “at the very least 13 Chinese language listed corporations have already introduced their intention” to supply shares, Wang mentioned. “There are different corporations planning for that however have not made the announcement.”