London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Dec 04, 2025

What Does Alibaba’s Hong Kong Listing Mean for U.S. Shareholders? 6 Things to Know

What Does Alibaba’s Hong Kong Listing Mean for U.S. Shareholders? 6 Things to Know

The Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding (ticker: BABA) has been trading on the New York Stock Exchange since it raised $25 billion in a 2014 initial public offering. The price of the American depositary shares has soared 173% from $68 at the IPO to $185.49 as of Friday’s close.

Now, the company wants to offer another 500 million new ordinary shares in a listing through the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong. The offering, expected to raise as much as $14 billion, will be the largest so far in 2019.

What does the Hong Kong listing mean for U.S. investors who already own Alibaba’s ADS, or want to buy the stock? Here are a few things to know.


There will be dilution, but it shouldn’t be worrisome.

Each Alibaba ADS represents eight ordinary shares that will be freely interchangeable with the Hong Kong-listed shares. There will likely be a dilution of about 2.8%, according to a person familiar with the matter, which can reduce the value of existing investors’ shares and their proportional ownership of the company.

But with potential high demand from new investors in Asia, the price of the existing shares could also get a lift. The second listing will also allow global investors to trade nearly round-the-clock. Right now, traders have to wait as much as 17 hours for the U.S. market to open.


The Hong Kong listing is not priced yet. We’ll know the price on Tuesday.

Unlike in the U.S., Hong Kong regulations allow retail investors to directly buy shares in a public offering by making a prepayment. If demand exceeds the amount of stock available, part of the money is returned to investors. The whole process can take a few days.

Alibaba said it expects to officially set the Hong Kong offer price on Tuesday, after the U.S. market closes. The closing price of Alibaba ADSs that day, divided by eight, will be the offer price for the new ordinary shares, although the amount retail investors in Hong Kong will pay is capped at 188 Hong Kong dollars, or US$24. There is no price cap for institutional investors, who are expected to take 97.5% of the new shares.

The new shares are expected to start trading on Nov. 26 under the ticker 9988, the company said.


NYSE should remain the main exchange for Alibaba shares even after the Hong Kong listing.

A person familiar with the matter told Barron’s that there likely won’t be a large amount of trading between existing ADSs and the Hong Kong-listed ordinary shares, because the U.S. market still has better liquidity and access to global investors. Making such trades might also cause tax complications.


The listing isn’t a response to concern that the U.S. will restrict capital investment in Chinese companies.

Amid the escalation of the U.S.-China trade war earlier this year, investors have been worrying about the decoupling of the world’s two largest economies-not just for technology, but also in terms of capital. There have been reports about the U.S. potentially restricting government pensions from investing in China and delistings of Chinese companies traded on U.S. exchanges.

Although Alibaba’s Hong Kong listing could in some way mitigate that risk, it was not the main reason why the company went ahead, according to a person familiar with the matter. These events are all relatively recent, said the person, and Alibaba has been contemplating a Hong Kong listing for years.

When the e-commerce giant went public in 2014, it wanted to list in Hong Kong. But the local exchange didn’t allow Alibaba’s dual-class capital structure at that time. The Hong Kong exchange loosened its rules last year, and many Chinese companies have since offered shares on the bourse. Alibaba said in a Thursday statement that the company wants to tap a wider investor base and capital pool across Asia.


A Hong Kong listing will bring Alibaba closer to home, and that’s a good thing.

The Hong Kong-listed shares will not only be available to global institutional investors, but also to the city’s local retail investors. The Stock Connect program, linking the Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Shenzhen stock exchanges, also allows mainland China’s investors to trade securities in Hong Kong, and vice versa.

Alibaba is planning to apply for eligibility in the Stock Connect channel after the Hong Kong listing. This will make it easier for Chinese citizens-who are mostly Alibaba customers and have a better understanding of its business-to invest and participate in the company’s growth.


Alibaba isn’t so concerned about the unrest in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong’s antigovernment protests have lasted for months and descended into widespread violence. The chaos intensified this week, as protesters marched in the city’s business district and set up barricades on university campuses. One man was shot by the police and another was set on fire by protesters. The economy has fallen into its first recession since the global financial crisis in 2009.

Alibaba’s listing amounts to a vote of confidence in the city. “During this time of ongoing change, we continue to believe that the future of Hong Kong remains bright,” CEO and Chairman Daniel Zhang wrote in a letter included in the company’s supplementary prospectus. Zhang called Hong Kong “one of the world’s most important financial centers” and made no mention of the unrest.

Hong Kong’s stock market remains open. As of the close of trading on Friday, the Hang Seng Index was up nearly 2% this year, compared with the nearly 25% gain in the S&P 500 and a 16% increase in China’s Shanghai Composite index. From June to October this year, 66 companies were newly listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange, compared with 92 in that span in 2018.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK Inquiry Finds Putin ‘Morally Responsible’ for 2018 Novichok Death — London Imposes Broad Sanctions on GRU
India backs down on plan to mandate government “Sanchar Saathi” app on all smartphones
King Charles Welcomes German President Steinmeier to UK in First State Visit by Berlin in 27 Years
UK Plans Major Cutback to Jury Trials as Crown Court Backlog Nears 80,000
UK Government to Significantly Limit Jury Trials in England and Wales
U.S. and U.K. Seal Drug-Pricing Deal: Britain Agrees to Pay More, U.S. Lifts Tariffs
UK Postpones Decision Yet Again on China’s Proposed Mega-Embassy in London
Head of UK Budget Watchdog Resigns After Premature Leak of Reeves’ Budget Report
Car-sharing giant Zipcar to exit UK market by end of 2025
Reports of Widespread Drone Deployment Raise Privacy and Security Questions in the UK
UK Signals Security Concerns Over China While Pursuing Stronger Trade Links
Google warns of AI “irrationality” just as Gemini 3 launch rattles markets
Top Consultancies Freeze Starting Salaries as AI Threatens ‘Pyramid’ Model
Macron Says Washington Pressuring EU to Delay Enforcement of Digital-Regulation Probes Against Meta, TikTok and X
UK’s DragonFire Laser Downs High-Speed Drones as £316m Deal Speeds Naval Deployment
UK Chancellor Rejects Claims She Misled Public on Fiscal Outlook Ahead of Budget
Starmer Defends Autumn Budget as Finance Chief Faces Accusations of Misleading Public Finances
EU Firms Struggle with 3,000-Hour Paperwork Load — While Automakers Fear De Facto 2030 Petrol Car Ban
White House launches ‘Hall of Shame’ site to publicly condemn media outlets for alleged bias
UK Budget’s New EV Mileage Tax Undercuts Case for Plug-In Hybrids
UK Government Launches National Inquiry into ‘Grooming Gangs’ After US Warning and Rising Public Outcry
Taylor Swift Extends U.K. Chart Reign as ‘The Fate of Ophelia’ Hits Six Weeks at No. 1
250 Still Missing in the Massive Fire, 94 Killed. One Day After the Disaster: Survivor Rescued on the 16th Floor
Trump: National Guard Soldier Who Was Shot in Washington Has Died; Second Soldier Fighting for His Life
UK Chancellor Reeves Defends Tax Rises as Essential to Reduce Child Poverty and Stabilise Public Finances
No Evidence Found for Claim That UK Schools Are Shifting to Teaching American English
European Powers Urge Israel to Halt West Bank Settler Violence Amid Surge in Attacks
"I Would Have Given Her a Kidney": She Lent Bezos’s Ex-Wife $1,000 — and Received Millions in Return
European States Approve First-ever Military-Grade Surveillance Network via ESA
UK to Slash Key Pension Tax Perk, Targeting High Earners Under New Budget
UK Government Announces £150 Annual Cut to Household Energy Bills Through Levy Reforms
UK Court Hears Challenge to Ban on Palestine Action as Critics Decry Heavy-Handed Measures
Investors Rush Into UK Gilts and Sterling After Budget Eases Fiscal Concerns
UK to Raise Online Betting Taxes by £1.1 Billion Under New Budget — Firms Warn of Fallout
Lamine Yamal? The ‘Heir to Messi’ Lost to Barcelona — and the Kingdom Is in a Frenzy
Warner Music Group Drops Suit Against Suno, Launches Licensed AI-Music Deal
HP to Cut up to 6,000 Jobs Globally as It Ramps Up AI Integration
MediaWorld Sold iPad Air for €15 — Then Asked Customers to Return Them or Pay More
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer Promises ‘Full-Time’ Education for All Children as School Attendance Slips
UK Extends Sugar Tax to Sweetened Milkshakes and Lattes in 2028 Health Push
UK Government Backs £49 Billion Plan for Heathrow Third Runway and Expansion
UK Gambling Firms Report £1bn Surge in Annual Profits as Pressure Mounts for Higher Betting Taxes
UK Shares Advance Ahead of Budget as Financials and Consumer Staples Lead Gains
Domino’s UK CEO Andrew Rennie Steps Down Amid Strategic Reset
UK Economy Stalls as Reeves Faces First Budget Test
UK Economy’s Weak Start Adds Pressure on Prime Minister Starmer
UK Government Acknowledges Billionaire Exodus Amid Tax Rise Concerns
UK Budget 2025: Markets Brace as Chancellor Faces Fiscal Tightrope
UK Unveils Strategic Plan to Secure Critical Mineral Supply Chains
UK Taskforce Calls for Radical Reset of Nuclear Regulation to Cut Costs and Accelerate Build
×