SenseTime, Mengniu join UBTech in wave of Chinese firms tapping capital markets



Chinese companies are stepping up their fundraising activities to shore up liquidity and manage refinancing needs as market sentiment shows signs of recovery in the second half of the year.

On Thursday, artificial intelligence firm SenseTime unveiled an agreement to raise HK$2.5 billion (US$318 million) through a share subscription, and dairy giant Mengniu Dairy said it would generate 3.5 billion yuan (US$489 million) through a bond issuance. Those plans came to light a day after UBTech Robotics divulged a HK$2.4 billion share placement plan.
The financing moves come amid strong momentum in Hong Kong’s equity market. Initial public offerings in the city surged 695 per cent year on year in the first half to US$14.1 billion, making it the world’s largest IPO market during the period, according to a report released by bourse operator Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) on Wednesday.

“Investor sentiment has improved markedly,” despite complicated geopolitical tensions, HKEX said, noting that both international institutions and retail investors had shown strong demand for new offerings. Equity fundraising was particularly active in the consumer sector and the technology, media and telecommunications sector, with firms in AI, healthcare and fast-moving consumer goods raising substantial capital to fuel expansion, it said.

SenseTime said its conditional subscription agreement with unnamed investors would involve 1.67 billion new shares priced at HK$1.50 apiece, representing a 6.25 per cent discount to its last closing price. The proceeds were expected to support the firm’s business development and general corporate use, including ongoing investment in AI infrastructure and research into generative models, as well as new areas such as robotics and digital finance, it said.

Mengniu, one of China’s largest dairy producers, said it would issue two tranches of yuan-denominated bonds: a 2 billion yuan bond maturing in 2030 with a 2 per cent coupon, and a 1.5 billion yuan bond maturing in 2035 with a 2.3 per cent coupon. The company said the proceeds would be used for refinancing existing debt, with an equivalent amount to be allocated to eligible green and social-responsibility projects under its sustainable-financing framework.

  • Related Posts

    Why Hong Kong’s tech index is failing to ride the Chinese AI stock boom

    Investor frustration is growing with Hong Kong’s technology index, as the benchmark’s prolonged slide contrasts sharply with the soaring share prices of several Chinese AI firms that recently went public…

    Continue reading
    How customised AI is delivering real-world impact

    [The content of this article has been produced by our advertising partner.] The AI systems delivering the strongest results today are the ones built in-house and trained on proprietary data…

    Continue reading

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *