Tencent Strategically Invested Chinese Broker CICC
On the evening of Today (September 20), China International Capital Corporation Limited (CICC) announced in Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEx) that Tencent as strategic investors subscribed 207.5 million shares of CICC, accounting for 12.01% of CICC H shares and 4.95% of the total share. The subscription price is 13.80 HKD per share. The stock issue is subject to regulatory approval.
On the same day, CICC signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement with Tencent. Based on CICC and Tencent‘s leading position in their respective industries, both sides are committed to conduct extensive cooperation in financial services, and to effectively promote strategic cooperation through the strategic cooperation committee made up by senior executives of both sides.
CICC issued a notice saying:
Based on CICC and Tencent‘s leading position in respective industries, both sides have complementary advantages and broad prospects for cooperation. After communication, both agree to actively carry out strategic cooperation. The cooperation is an important part of Tencent‘s ecosystem construction, and it is also a great impetus for developing strategic business such as wealth management and asset management.
In the case of CICC, we expect strategic cooperation with Tencent to help CICC accelerate our transformation of wealth management with financial technology so as to provide customers with more differentiated financial solutions.
And why did Tencent strategically invest CICC? Martin Lau, the president of Tencent, said: “CICC is a leading investment bank in China. Tencent hopes to cooperate with CICC in products and services, including offering CICC our advanced financial technology as well as the introducing wealth management capabilities of CICC, so as to provide users with better service”.
Tencent‘s financial business has been on low profile, but it has made several big moves this week in addition to today’s strategic investments. Earlier this week, Tencent CDG (Corporate Development Group) announced the structure adjustment, abolishing its former financial business architecture with Tenpay as main body and including all in “basic payment platform and financial application” line. The line includes multiple departments, respectively: payment platform department, the finance platform products division, platform R&D department, financial department, etc.. And the original lottery and mobile recharge are withdrawn into the architecture.
The highlights of the adjustment include:
Establish financial products innovation laboratory, which is responsible for the forefront research of the Internet financial product, product planning, constantly incubating new Internet financial products (such as cross-border securities products, etc.) and building the Internet financial products system;
Establish Licaitong Product Center, responsible for the strategic planning, function design, user operation and cooperation promotion of Licaitong financial products system;
The move shows Tencent‘s emphasis on wealth management products and Internet securities products.
Today, CICC H shares closed at 15.5 HKD, up by 4.17% from the trading day. Tencent shares closed at 346.4 HKD, up by 0.64 percent.
This article originally appeared in Huxiu and was translated by Pandaily.
Click here to read the original Chinese article.
