Published: 12:39, February 12, 2025
CATL files for Hong Kong listing that could raise $5 billion
By Bloomberg
A logo of CATL is seen in Guangzhou, Guangdong province on Nov 24, 2023. (PHOTO / VCG)

Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd has filed its application for a jumbo listing in Hong Kong that could be the city’s biggest stock offering in four years.

The long-awaited filing by CATL, as the world’s top electric-vehicle battery maker is known, comes amid a rally in Hong Kong’s stock market. The company could raise more than $5 billion, Bloomberg News reported earlier. That would be the largest since Kuaishou Technology’s $6.2 billion listing in early 2021.

CATL is expected to drive much of this year’s share-sale recovery in the special administrative region, with other Chinese mainland-listed companies also seeking a second float in the city. The chief executive officer of Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing Ltd last month said about 100 companies were in the initial public offering pipeline.

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Hong Kong’s IPO proceeds nearly doubled in 2024 to about $10 billion, but that’s still below the annual average of about $30 billion for the 10 years preceding the pandemic, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

CATL has appointed Bank of America Corp, China International Capital Corp, CSC Financial Co and JPMorgan Chase & Co as joint sponsors for the listing, according to the company’s filing to the Hong Kong stock exchange on Tuesday. Goldman Sachs Group Inc, Morgan Stanley and UBS Group AG are also among the arrangers for the share sale.

The Ningde, Fujian-based EV battery giant said the funds raised will be used to fund its European expansion, namely in Hungary. Of the 4.9 billion euro ($5.1 billion) needed for the 100 gigawatt-hours factory, CATL said in its prospectus it has spent 700 million euro so far, with the secondary listing raising the rest of the funds.

ALSO READ: Battery giant CATL says its HK listing will be smaller than expected

Earnings by CATL, a major supplier to Tesla Inc, last year rose as much as 20 percent as the company tightened its grip on the EV battery market. CATL is on track to post a new peak in annual net income, though its sales are set to drop for the first time since it began disclosing results in 2015.

CATL accounted for over one-third of global battery shipments in the third quarter of 2024, according to Seoul-based SNE Research, more than double that of runner-up BYD Co. The company supplies not just Tesla but also many of the world’s biggest automakers, from Stellantis NV to Volkswagen AG.

READ MORE: Chinese battery giant launches R&D center in HK amid tech push

CATL, based in Southeast China’s Fujian province, currently trades on the Shenzhen stock exchange. It has a market value of about $152 billion.

The Hang Seng Index has climbed 6 percent in 2025, extending last year’s 18 percent advance. The gauge fell in each of the previous four years.