Since the start of the year, 70 IPO applications on the A-share market have been aborted, compared with 43 in Q4 2020, according to local financial news outlet 21 Century Business Herald, which cited data from Wind. The majority of them has quit on a voluntary basis during the inspection.
Most recently, both AI computer vision firm Yitu and e-commerce giant JD.com’s (NASDAQ: JD) fintech arm JD Technology are reportedly suspending or withdrawing their initial public offerings on Shanghai’s Star Market.
As of March 15, there are 2,278 companies queuing for a listing on the exchanges in Shanghai or Shenzhen, said the report. Last year, the number of active applicants lining up for A-share IPOs increased from 514 in Q1 to 806 in Q4, according to KPMG’s data viewed by KrASIA.
Due to a large number of filings this year, the IPO inspection process has been delayed recently, said an investment banker interviewed by the paper: “The rules are still the same, but it’s tighter now… things like passing the inspection and get listed in 20 or 30 days don’t happen anymore.”
In November, the highly-anticipated dual-listing of Jack Ma’s fintech giant Ant Group was scrapped at the last minute after being approved by the exchanges in less than a month.
Read this: TECH PANO | A year of ups and downs: China IPO review
This article is part of KrASIA’s “Key Stat” series, where KrASIA picks and presents the most significant figures of the day’s technology and business world.
