Recent IPO filings by some Chinese unicorns has revealed companies who misrepresented the amount they raised in venture funding; Jianpu Technology is reported to have inflated their capital raising's and Qudian is under pressure for potentially disclosing incorrect bad-loan ratios; Chinese regulators have begun looking more closely at consumer lenders and the recent surge in potential IPOs might take a hit with the bad news trend. Source.
Recent IPOs by ZhongAn and Qudian, as well as the prospectus by Jianpu could signal a significant rise for IPOs in the next few years; “There will be a new wave of China concept stocks after these two to three years' quietness," said Tiger Brokers research team to China Daily. Source.
Shares of Qudian surged almost 48 percent on the first day of trading; the share offering raised about $900mn, making it the largest Chinese listing in the US this year; reaching as high as $35.45 the company ended the day at $29.86; Qudian extends loans to millennials and students for small ticket items like smartphones or concert tickets. Source.
Qudian, a financial firm that started as microlender Qufenqi, is sending signals of a possible 2017 IPO, according to Seeking Alpha; according to the reporting, Qudian has hired a foreign CFO and an investment bank, both typical developments for a company looking to go public within the next year; while the company originally focused on small student loans for items like computers or books, they now have broadened their scope and are a consumer lender; loan sizes are still small, about 1,000 yuan ($150) each, but they are on pace for close to $5.5 billion in total originations this year. Source
Recent news about Chinese online lenders has caused regulators in China to begin looking at new regulations for the industry; “The public has doubts about its operating model and has appealed for it to be brought under regulation,” said Ji Zhihong, head of financial markets department at the People’s Bank of China, according to the FT; the potential regulations could hurt what has become a hot IPO market; Chinese lenders like Qudian who recently did a US based IPO and Paipaidai, Hexindai and Lexin Fintech who all have filed for potential US IPOs. Source.
After a successful IPO the Chinese online lender has seen shares drop as much as 20 percent after concerns about their business; Chinese media reports surfaced related to the high lending charges that exploit the poor and whether or nor they can handle increased defaults should the economy as a whole slow down; Qudian said the reports are “baseless attacks.” Source.
China-based Qudian said on Monday it has filed with the SEC to raise up to $750 million in an initial public offering, planning to to list on the NYSE under the symbol QD; Qudian plans to use net proceeds for strategic acquisitions and marketing and borrower engagement; Qulian provides small loans and installment-based financing for e-commerce in China. Source