{"id":123348,"date":"2021-11-24T10:29:49","date_gmt":"2021-11-24T10:29:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fin2me.com\/?p=123348"},"modified":"2021-11-24T10:29:49","modified_gmt":"2021-11-24T10:29:49","slug":"exclusive-investor-warburg-cuts-ant-valuation-by-15-to-below-200-billion-source","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fin2me.com\/business\/exclusive-investor-warburg-cuts-ant-valuation-by-15-to-below-200-billion-source\/","title":{"rendered":"Exclusive-Investor Warburg cuts Ant valuation by 15% to below $200 billion – source"},"content":{"rendered":"
HONG KONG (Reuters) -Warburg Pincus, a major global investor in Ant Group, has cut its valuation of the Chinese fintech company by 15% to below $200 billion due to risks from a restructuring at the Hangzhou-based firm, a source with direct knowledge of the matter said.<\/p> There are also no signs that Ant\u2019s botched mega IPO will be revived anytime soon, sources familiar with the matter said.<\/p>\n U.S. private equity firm Warburg, which was a big investor in Ant\u2019s 2018 private fundraising, lowered the company\u2019s valuation to $191 billion at end-September from the $224 billion at end-June, the first source told Reuters.<\/p>\n Warburg\u2019s cutting of Ant\u2019s worth comes after some other global investors have already slashed their valuations and shows skepticism about its prospects is rising as the payments-to-loans behemoth remodels itself under regulatory pressure.<\/p>\n The valuation markdowns will weigh on the returns of the global investors who were betting on Ant\u2019s once turbo-charged growth.<\/p>\n Warburg\u2019s latest valuation of Ant, an affiliate of Alibaba Group, is far short of $315 billion that was touted one year ago at its planned IPO, which would have been the world\u2019s largest if it were not derailed at the last minute.<\/p>\n The private equity heavyweight changed its valuation methodology for the company, citing \u201cregulatory developments and the impact of ongoing restructuring\u201d, said the source, without elaborating.<\/p>\n Ant and Warburg declined to comment. The sources declined to be identified as they were not authorised to speak to media.<\/p>\n Ant\u2019s $37 billion IPO was called off by regulators two days before its scheduled dual-listing in Hong Kong and Shanghai, leaving investors guessing about their return prospects.<\/p>\n Since the IPO\u2019s cancellation, Ant, controlled by Alibaba\u2019s billionaire founder Jack Ma, has embarked on a restructuring plan that would see itself become a financial holding company. It is also shrinking its once-booming consumer credit business, opening its data trove to other firms, and faces new regulations in its payments and insurance businesses.<\/p>\n In the first half of the year, Ant generated revenue of about $16.9 billion, up 52% year-on-year and $4.9 billion in adjusted net profit, up 29% year-on-year, according to a latest financial document prepared by an investor and seen by Reuters.<\/p>\n According to Alibaba\u2019s September quarterly financial earnings report, Ant\u2019s profit was $5.2 billion in the first half, up 43% year-on-year. Alibaba said the increase was mainly due to net gains from fair value changes in Ant\u2019s investments.<\/p>\n Similar to Warburg, a string of other Ant investors have cut their valuations of the company since the start of the year.<\/p>\n Fidelity, an Ant investor that joined in the same round as Warburg, valued it at $68 billion at end-July, Reuters calculations based on its public disclosures showed. In January, it valued Ant at $233 billion.<\/p>\n In June, Bernstein analysts cut Ant\u2019s valuation to $120 billion from the time of its IPO, due to slower growth expectations and lowered price-to-earnings multiples as a result of the regulatory changes.<\/p>\n The company was valued at $150 billion in its 2018 fundraising that attracted a slew of prominent global investors.<\/p>\n Ant investors don\u2019t have high hopes that the company\u2019s IPO will revive any time soon, as it is still in the middle of a complicated restructuring process that requires regulatory approvals on many fronts, said four other people.<\/p>\n \u201cI would be surprised if Ant could finish its restructuring and revive its IPO by end of 2022,\u201d said one investor source.<\/p>\n Ant declined to comment on the restructuring process and the IPO revival plans.<\/p>\n ($1 = 6.3854 Chinese yuan renminbi)<\/p>\nIPO PROSPECTS<\/h2>\n