Chinese E-Commerce Giant Alibaba’s Decision To Cancel Cainiao IPO
One of the largest retailers and e-commerce firms in the world has pulled attention after the withdrawal of Initial Public Offerings (IPO). The company identified as Alibaba Group Holding Ltd called off the IPO for its Cainiao logistics arm, shelving a highly anticipated debut that had the chance to raise more than $1 billion. The decision of Alibaba came after watching the poor market conditions. However, no official words regarding the withdrawal have come fore at the moment. People who are familiar with the matter said that China’s e-commerce pioneer has lost its interest in the deal this year as stock waned.
In a given statement of Alibaba Group on Tuesday, March 26, the company was offering to purchase the 36% of Cainiao it does not already own for up to $ 3.75 billion, cancelling plans for an IPO of the logistics business in Hong Kong. Speaking about the statement given by an anonymous source, the company could select to revive the IPO should markets recover. It is not the first time that the company has nixed a high-profile coming-out party, it is the second time the company is coming out for one of its main businesses.
It is worth noting that, last year, Alibaba shocked the market when it abandoned a listing of its $11 billion cloud unit. One of Alibaba’s fastest-growing businesses is Cainiao Smart Logistics Network Ltd., which manages a significant portion of the millions of parcels the company’s e-commerce division generates every day. Alibaba also halted plans to launch its Freshippo grocery chain last year. As Beijing struggles with a real estate crisis, dwindling confidence among foreign investors, and the ensuing economic slowdown, its retreat corresponds with rising uncertainty in public markets. At the same time, declining consumer confidence is making it difficult for domestically focused enterprises to increase their top line.
Joe Tsai, the Chairman of Alibaba Group released a statement that reads “Given the strategic importance of Cainiao to Alibaba and the significant long-term opportunity we see in building out a global logistics network, we believe this is an appropriate time to double down.” He later said that regulatory issues shared no significance in the decision to withdraw the IPO of Cainiao. Moreover, after the announcement, the United States-listed shares in Alibaba surged 0.7% in pre-market trading. The Chairman of Alibaba Group further added that in a recent earnings call, all the IPOs planned by Alibaba including “were subject to market conditions” of Cainiao.
During a call with analysts on Tuesday, Tsai said “The overall environment for doing capital market transactions to unlock value for shareholders is just not there in this part of the world. It does not make sense for us to grind into these capital market deals.”
As per the report of Reuters, In 2023, the number of initial public offerings (IPOs) in Hong Kong suffered a decline, with 73 companies listing and raising HK$46.3 billion ($5.92 billion), a 56% decrease from 2022. The firm had struggled with a contradiction in valuation expectations with potential investors. As of now, Alibaba has not made any comment regarding the statement of valuation contradiction but the Chairperson made it clear that the company offered minority shareholders valued Cainiao at $10.3 billion.