By Yantoultra Ngui
SINGAPORE (Reuters) -At least five companies from mainland China or Hong Kong are planning IPOs, dual listings, or share placements in Singapore in the next 12 to 18 months, four sources said, as Chinese firms look to expand in Southeast Asia amid global trade tensions.
The companies include a Chinese energy company, a Chinese healthcare group, and a Shanghai-based biotech group, said the sources, who have direct knowledge of the matter, but declined to be named or to name the firms as the plans are not finalised.
The listings would give a boost to Singapore Exchange Ltd (SGX), which, despite being a popular venue for yield plays such as real estate investment trusts, has been struggling to attract mega listings and bolster trading volumes.
SGX hosted just four initial public offerings in 2024, according to its website. That compares with 71 new company listings recorded by its rival regional bourse Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Ltd.
Chinese companies are looking to tap the Singaporean bourse as they look to enter, or expand business in, Southeast Asia amid a trade war with the United States, Jason Saw, investment banking group head at CGS International Securities, said.
U.S. President Donald Trump imposed tariffs of 145% on imports of Chinese goods, and China in turn raised tariffs on U.S. goods to 125%, before the two sides agreed a 90-day pause last weekend. But uncertainty remains, given the time limit and the Trump administration’s unpredictability.
Enquiries about listings on SGX “shot through the roof” after Trump ramped up his trade actions against China, Saw said.
“For the next years and decades, gateways from China to the world are going to be more important,” said Pol de Win, senior managing director and head of global sales and origination at SGX.
“Singapore is an important gateway, whether it’s trade (or) business activity from China to the outside world, and a listing in Singapore is an important component of that.” De Win did not mention the listing plans of the Chinese and Hong Kong firms.
‘GROWING INTEREST’
CGS International, a unit of state-owned brokerage China Galaxy Securities, is working with at least two China-based companies to list on the SGX as early as this year, according to Saw. He declined to name the companies.
Some of the mainland Chinese and Hong Kong companies could raise around $100 million via primary listings in Singapore, said one of the sources.
SGX is usually not the first choice for Chinese companies eyeing an offshore market debut. Most of them prefer Hong Kong due to Beijing’s support and a large pool of institutional and retail investors more familiar with Chinese brands.
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