(Bloomberg) -- Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. is considering a second listing in Hong Kong that could raise at least $5 billion, making it the city’s biggest since early 2021, according to people familiar with the matter.
CATL, as the world’s top electric-vehicle battery maker is known, is talking with potential advisers and a listing might happen as soon as the first half of 2025, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing private information.
Raising $5 billion or more would top Midea Group Co.’s $4.6 billion share sale in September, the biggest in Hong Kong since Kuaishou Technology’s $6.2 billion in early 2021. Midea’s Hong Kong-listed shares have risen nearly 40% in three months.
CATL’s deliberations are ongoing and plans could change, the people said. A second listing would still require approval from China’s securities regulator.
A representative for the EV battery maker declined to comment.
CATL, based in southeast China’s Fujian province, trades on the Shenzhen stock exchange. Its shares have climbed 65% this year, helped by a surge in late September when Chinese markets rallied on the back of government talk of stimulus plans. CATL has a market value of 1.2 trillion yuan ($164 billion).
Getting “$5 billion via a secondary listing will provide CATL dollar proceeds that help accelerate its overseas expansion,” said Johnson Wan, an analyst at Jefferies Hong Kong Ltd., adding that the company could issue convertible bonds in US dollars.
“I expect strong appetite from foreign long-only investors should it come list in Hong Kong,” Wan said.
After four years of losses, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index is on track for a gain this year, advancing about 15% since the start of January. The city’s biggest IPO on record was AIA Group Ltd.’s in 2010, which raised more than $20 billion.
--With assistance from Haze Fan, Danny Lee and Charlotte Yang.
(Updates with analyst comment.)
©2024 Bloomberg L.P.