KPMG China has revised its annual IPO fundraising forecast in Hong Kong from HKD 250 billion to over HKD 300 billion in 2018, in light of a strong Q3 performance and a robust listing pipeline, and expects the city to be the global top IPO destination.
In the third quarter of 2018 alone, the Main Board is poised to record HKD 190 billion in total funds raised from 40 new listings, exceeding the HKD 122.6 billion recorded in the full year of 2017, KPMG China analysis finds. This is attributed to the HKD54.3 billion IPO by China Tower Corp, the largest deal of the period, as well as a number of listings from new economy companies which contributed to almost half of the fund raised in Q3.
Benefitting from a buoyant market, IPO proceeds in the Main Board are expected to reach HKD 238.2 billion in the first nine months, almost triple the amount raised a year ago. The number of IPOs is forecasted to increase by 73 percent to 88, while the average deal size is HKD 2.71 billion, an increase from HKD 1.63 billion at the same time last year. The GEM continues to be relatively stable, raising HKD 4.6 billion from 67 new listings in the first three quarters of 2018.
With the Hong Kong Stock Exchange currently the top IPO destination in terms of total funds raised, KPMG expects Hong Kong to remain the highest performing global stock exchange at the end of the year as the momentum continues.
Maggie Lee, Head of Capital Markets Development Group, Hong Kong, KPMG China, says: “The new listing regime for companies from emerging and innovative sectors has generated significant interest from ‘new economy’ companies globally. Three pre-revenue biotech companies and two with weighted voting right structures completed their IPOs by the end of Q3. We expect to see six to ten pre-revenue biotech companies list by the end of 2018 as the trend continues.”
KPMG China’s analysis also highlights that the new listing regime is transforming the Hong Kong bourse into a hub for “new economy” companies. In terms of proceeds, more than one-fifth of IPOs in 2018 listed through traditional requirements are new economy companies, compared to less than 10 percent in 2017.
Meanwhile, the A-share IPO market has experienced a slowdown in terms of both the number of listings and total funds raised in the first nine months amid a decline in listing approvals. The Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges are expected to raise a combined RMB 122.7 billion from 89 IPOs at the end of Q3, compared to RMB 175.8 billion from 350 IPOs a year earlier.
Louis Lau, Partner, Capital Markets Advisory Group, KPMG China, says: “We expect the industrials and TMT sectors, in particular high-end manufacturing and high-tech companies, to continue to lead in terms of the number of transactions and total funds raised. The financial services sector is also expected to increase its market share, with a number of medium to large-sized financial institutions poised to list in the fourth quarter.”
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