Latest news with #HongKong-traded
South China Morning Post
5 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong's OSL Group raises US$300 million amid stablecoin anticipation
Hong Kong-based OSL Group, the city's first listed and licensed virtual-asset trading platform, said on Friday that it raised HK$2.36 billion (US$300 million) through the sale of existing shares, top-up subscriptions and new shares, amid heightened market anticipation around stablecoins It was the largest publicly disclosed equity raise in Asia's digital-asset sector to date, the company said on Friday. Hong Kong is set to allow stablecoin issuance under new regulations that take effect on August 1. Excitement over the change prompted Eddie Yue Wai-man, chief executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, to issue a warning on Wednesday, cautioning against 'excessive market and public opinion speculation'. OSL's major shareholder Crown Research Investments sold 101.19 million existing shares at HK$14.90 per share, a 15.34 per cent discount to the closing price on Thursday, according to a filing with the Hong Kong stock exchange. The same number of shares will be reissued to the seller at the same price through a top-up subscription. The shares represent 16.14 per cent of OSL's existing issued share capital and 13.9 per cent of the issued share capital as enlarged by the allotment and issue of the top-up shares. The company's Hong Kong-traded stock dropped 6.6 per cent to HK$16.44 in the morning trading session on Friday. OSL also issued 9.34 million new shares to two independent investors, WK Triangulum Investment and Brand Wisdom, which have agreed to subscribe to 2.63 million shares and 6.71 million shares, respectively.
South China Morning Post
5 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong's OSL Group raises US$300 million amid stablecoin anticipation
Hong Kong-based OSL Group, the city's first listed and licensed virtual-asset trading platform, said on Friday that it raised HK$2.36 billion (US$300 million) through the sale of existing shares, top-up subscriptions and new shares, amid heightened market anticipation around stablecoins It was the largest publicly disclosed equity raise in Asia's digital-asset sector to date, the company said on Friday. Hong Kong is set to allow stablecoin issuance under new regulations that take effect on August 1. Excitement over the change prompted Eddie Yue Wai-man, chief executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, to issue a warning on Wednesday, cautioning against 'excessive market and public opinion speculation'. OSL's major shareholder Crown Research Investments sold 101.19 million existing shares at HK$14.90 per share, a 15.34 per cent discount to the closing price on Thursday, according to a filing with the Hong Kong stock exchange. The same number of shares will be reissued to the seller at the same price through a top-up subscription. The shares represent 16.14 per cent of OSL's existing issued share capital and 13.9 per cent of the issued share capital as enlarged by the allotment and issue of the top-up shares. The company's Hong Kong-traded stock dropped 6.6 per cent to HK$16.44 in the morning trading session on Friday. OSL also issued 9.34 million new shares to two independent investors, WK Triangulum Investment and Brand Wisdom, which have agreed to subscribe to 2.63 million shares and 6.71 million shares, respectively.
CNBC
29-06-2025
- Business
- CNBC
China's suppressed crypto demand is spilling over into these stocks
China essentially banned cryptocurrencies years ago. Now that pent-up demand is finding an outlet in Hong Kong markets as local regulators eye the potential of stablecoins. Hong Kong-traded shares of Guotai Junan International nearly tripled in price Wednesday after becoming the first mainland Chinese-backed securities brokerage to obtain a license for virtual currency trading in Hong Kong . So many mainland-based investors bought the Hong Kong-listed stock that Guotai's total trading value ranked first on the exchange on Wednesday and Thursday, exceeding that of Alibaba, according to Wind Information. Guotai held onto second place on Friday, ceding the top trading spot to Xiaomi after its electric car launch Thursday night, the data showed. As a special administrative region of China, Hong Kong operates under different financial regulations and allows bitcoin trading. In late May, the region passed a stablecoin bill to formalize the process for financial companies to issue and manage virtual assets, primarily those that reference government-issued, or fiat, currencies. "We believe China's newfound interest in stablecoins is driven by concerns that legislation of U.S. stablecoins could extend dollar dominance," Morgan Stanley's Chief China Economist Robin Xing and a team said in a June 19 report. The People's Bank of China "is exploring HK as a sandbox for future payment alternatives," the firm said. While the analysts pointed out that Beijing has banned crypto transactions in mainland China since 2021 , PBOC Governor Pan Gongsheng's high-profile speech in mid-June "signals a pivot." Pan highlighted stablecoins and also noted how digital technologies have exposed weaknesses in traditional payment systems, the Morgan Stanley analysts pointed out. A growing trend among companies Other Chinese companies are jumping onto the trend. Hong Kong-listed financial services firm China Renaissance announced Thursday it plans to spend $100 million over the next two years to invest in cryptocurrency assets and to develop its business in the related Web3.0 realm. On the same day, the company also announced that Frank Fu, a former CEO of crypto exchange Huobi Americas, would join China Renaissance as an independent non-executive director . China Renaissance, also known as CR Holdings, saw its shares gain 20% last week. In the mainland, where stock trading is subject to more price restrictions, Shanghai-listed TF Securities saw gains of nearly 29% last week after it confirmed to investors Friday its wholly-owned subsidiary, TF International, also obtained a license in Hong Kong for virtual assets trading. TF Securities and popular financial information and brokerage company Eastmoney saw the largest turnover by share volume and price last week on the mainland exchanges, according to Wind data, although Eastmoney did not share any virtual assets-related business updates. Its stock climbed by about 11% in the last week. Watch for the drivers behind shares' recent surge The leap in Guotai shares over the past week reflects the market's positive expectations for stablecoin business, Li Dongfang, a Beijing-based finance blogger, said in Chinese, translated by CNBC. But the stock price surge is due more to investors pursuing emerging themes and following first-mover advantage, rather than a reflection of new business growth, Li said. He expects more brokerages to also get similar approvals for virtual asset business, and not see such large fluctuations in stock prices. Part of Beijing's impetus for banning crypto trading was an effort to control financial risks. Speculation takes on a different form with a population of 1.4 billion people. However, the macro trend is clear, if not accelerating. The New York-founded cryptocurrency conference Consensus expanded to Hong Kong this year with its first event in the region in February. Another Consensus event is planned for Hong Kong next year. Recent Chinese business news reports have also scrutinized the potential for stablecoins in Chinese sales of goods overseas via online platforms. They have also highlighted how a unit of Chinese e-commerce company along with Standard Chartered, are among those officially participating in Hong Kong's stablecoin project. "For China, ignoring this trend risks being left behind in the digital infrastructure race – especially as stablecoins increasingly function as bypass mechanisms to traditional banking networks," the Morgan Stanley analysts said.
Business Times
25-06-2025
- Business
- Business Times
Ping An builds HK$180 billion stake in China banks on dividend bet
[HONG KONG] Ping An Insurance Group, as well as other Chinese insurers, have ramped up investments in the nation's biggest banks on a bet that the dividend yields will outweigh headwinds of narrower margins and earnings pressure. Ping An has since late 2024 boosted its holdings of Hong Kong-listed stocks in some of the nation's largest lenders to a combined HK$180 billion (S$29 billion), according to Bloomberg calculations based on exchange data. Its purchases had pushed its stake in the Hong Kong-listed shares of Industrial & Commercial Bank of China to as high as 18 per cent, while holdings in China Merchants Bank and Agricultural Bank of China rose to at least 15 per cent. Its total holdings in the firms are substantially lower when also including their Shanghai-listed shares. The aggressive purchases underscore a growing demand for high-yielding assets amid limited investment options. While Chinese authorities had guided state-backed insurers to allocate 30 per cent of their new premiums to onshore listed shares annually, Hong Kong-traded bank shares offer more appeal with cheaper valuations and high dividend yields. At the same time, Chinese banks are suffering under record low margins and slow profit growth. The years-long property crisis has also dented balance sheets because of a jump in bad loans. The government has underscored its backing for the lenders by a massive recapitalisation. 'The historically low valuations and high dividend payouts have made banking stocks an inevitable choice for those in the hunt for dividends or long-term investors looking to build defensive positions,' said Yang Bo, an investment director with Shenzhen Zenith Investment. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up The Hong Kong-listed shares of China's largest banks had an indicated average dividend yield of more than 4 per cent, compared with a 1.65 per cent yield on the benchmark 10-year government bonds. Other Chinese insurers had also been actively buying bank stocks. Rui Life Insurance in March raised its stake in Hong Kong-traded China Citic Bank to 5 per cent from 4.98 per cent. New China Life Insurance in January bought a 5.45 per cent stake in Shanghai-listed Bank of Hangzhou from the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. Ping An preferred the bank stocks for their quasi-fixed-income attributes and state backing, it said in a response to a Bloomberg News inquiry. Their low volatility and high dividends will contribute substantial interest spreads, the insurer said, adding it also added non-bank shares in its portfolio to cut risks. 'We will adhere to a balanced approach of investing in both growth stocks and high-dividend value stocks,' it said. Ping An's total investment portfolio of insurance funds is 5.9 trillion yuan (S$1 trillion). The buying has fuelled a sector-wide rally, sending a gauge of Hong Kong-listed Chinese banks to a seven-year high. China Citic Bank, one of the best performers this year, hit a record high while AgBank closed at the highest since its 2010 listing on Tuesday (Jun 24). Yang of Zenith said while the momentum may persist in the short term, the sustainability of the rally remains to be seen as the banks are still contending with a contraction in margins, high funding costs and weak financing needs from the real economy. 'The stock performance has deviated from banks' fundamentals,' he said. 'We will have to see whether their credit expansion translates into real economic activity, as well as how local government debt and property sector risks unravel going forward.' BLOOMBERG
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Chinese Stocks' Premium Over Hong Kong Peers Drops to 5-Year Low
(Bloomberg) -- The premium that Chinese stocks command over their Hong Kong-traded peers has narrowed to a five-year low, suggesting that some investors may look to snap up onshore stocks that have become cheaper. Shuttered NY College Has Alumni Fighting Over Its Future Trump's Military Parade Has Washington Bracing for Tanks and Weaponry NYC Renters Brace for Price Hikes After Broker-Fee Ban NY Long Island Rail Service Resumes After Grand Central Fire Do World's Fairs Still Matter? Stocks listed on mainland exchanges, known as A-shares, are now trading at a 27% premium to their counterparts across the border, according to the Hang Seng Stock Connect China AH Premium Index. The valuation gap often widened again when the premium dipped to below 30% in previous occasions. The CSI 300 Index, a benchmark for onshore shares, has lagged the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index this year, set for the widest underperformance since 2003. While the HSCEI gauge entered a bull market earlier this week, the rebound on the mainland has been much more tepid as the market lacks policy catalysts to draw fresh money. In the case of some stocks favored by global investors like BYD Co. and Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., A-shares are trading at a rare discount to H-shares, according to calculations by by Bloomberg. New Grads Join Worst Entry-Level Job Market in Years American Mid: Hampton Inn's Good-Enough Formula for World Domination The Spying Scandal Rocking the World of HR Software The SEC Pinned Its Hack on a Few Hapless Day Traders. The Full Story Is Far More Troubling Cavs Owner Dan Gilbert Wants to Donate His Billions—and Walk Again ©2025 Bloomberg L.P. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
