China Unveils Plan to Lure Big Tech Stock Listings Back Home

(Bloomberg) -- China took a major step toward seeing Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., Baidu Inc. and others list in its domestic market, announcing a trial program that would allow the technology giants to see their shares bought and sold in the world's most populous country.

The State Council unveiled the plans on Friday, less than a month after the idea was first made public -- underscoring how keen authorities are to see foreign-listed firms come home. A pilot of Chinese depositary receipts would apply to companies that went public overseas and have a market value of more than 200 billion yuan ($32 billion). Firms can use corporate structures that aren't permitted on the mainland, and monies raised can be moved offshore. Some private companies will also find it easier to list shares.

While China has been a breeding ground for some of the world's fastest-growing and highest valued tech businesses, companies such as e-commerce giant Alibaba and search engine firm Baidu have headed offshore, leaving the local market reliant on state-run industries. The CDR trial and easier listing rules may change that: analysts at China International Capital Corp. estimate that 35 foreign-listed and private companies may qualify, with prospects that they'll raise as much as 1.5 trillion yuan in financing.

“There's a strong desire to see local champions, these technology companies, come back onshore -- and CDRs is one way of doing this,” said David Smith, Asia head of corporate governance at Aberdeen Standard Investments.

Read more: China Looks to Claw Back $1.4 Trillion in Lost Tech Listings

Regulators first mooted the prospect of a CDR program at last month's meeting of China's rubber-stamp national legislature. The State Council didn't say in the statement when the trial program would start.

The news could have global implications. While the likes of Alibaba and Tencent Holdings Ltd. have headed to New York and Hong Kong, respectively, the prospect of at least a secondary listing in the world's second-biggest equity market could significantly boost their valuations and set an example for other companies. And Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing Ltd. stock suffered its worst month in more than a year in March, partly due to the increased threat from exchanges in Shanghai and Shenzhen.

Reconsidering Plans

“High-tech and other innovative enterprises may, in light of the new CDR regime and ongoing competition between onshore and offshore equity exchanges, be reconsidering their IPO plans,” said John Xu, a Shanghai-based at the law firm Linklaters LLP. For example, a dual listing in China and an offshore market may now be realistic, he said.

That's partly because the plans released Friday signal a loosening of a ban in mainland equity markets on variable interest entity structures, which have been used by many of China's tech entrepreneurs to set up their companies. If VIE and dual-class structures are used for CDRs, that information should feature prominently in company prospectuses, the State Council said. The securities regulators should consult with other agencies and handle IPO applications from VIEs “prudently, based on varying circumstances.”

Read more: China's Foreign IPOs -- a QuickTake on VIEs

With these changes, CDRs may be establishing new norms, said Aberdeen's Smith.

“If these VIE companies are available onshore, what does that mean for the structure?” he said. “While we won't know for sure, it would seem to be one step closer to normalization, and this is something investors are watching closely.”

Expressed Interest

While no companies have said they will take part in the trial, the chiefs of several firms have previously expressed interest. Zhou Haibin, an analyst at Essence Securities, identified six foreign-listed companies that meet the plan's thresholds: Alibaba, Baidu, JD.com Inc., NetEase Inc. -- which are all in New York -- and Hong Kong-listed China Mobile Ltd. and China Telecom Corp. CICC analysts led by Hanfeng Wang named Xiaomi Corp. and Alibaba affiliate Ant Financial among unlisted firms that may qualify.

Private companies valued at more than 20 billion yuan and with revenue of 3 billion yuan or more in the past year will be eligible for the program, the State Council said, along with fast-growing unlisted companies that work in the field of advanced technology and have a leading advantage in their sector.

--With assistance from Emma O'Brien

To contact Bloomberg News staff for this story: Gary Gao in Shanghai at cgao58@bloomberg.net, Andrea Tan in Singapore at atan17@bloomberg.net, Li Hui in Beijing at hli355@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Sam Mamudi at smamudi@bloomberg.net, Sarah McDonald

©2018 Bloomberg L.P.

With assistance from Gary Gao, Andrea Tan, Li Hui