‘Are you an internet firm or a hardware maker?’ regulator asks Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi ahead of IPO
Xiaomi quizzed by regulator after targeting valuation twice as high as Apple’s in terms of price-to-earnings
Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi is under pressure from regulators to justify the pricing of its initial public offering which would make it twice as valuable as Apple on a price-to-earnings basis.
The securities watchdog said it has given the company a month to respond to more than 80 written questions about its latest prospectus aimed at mainland investors.
One of them is a fundamental challenge to Xiaomi’s very identity and the nature of its business.
The Chinese Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) asks Xiaomi why it positions itself as an internet company rather than a hardware manufacturer, given that internet services account for less than 10 per cent of its revenue, while smartphone sales makes up between 70 and 80 per cent.
The regulator also questions the business structure of the firm, its ability to sustain or increase profitability growth, and whether promises it made to early investors is pushing Xiaomi to set the offer price higher than it actually deserves.
Xiaomi is in the late stages of a public offering that could value it at US$85 billion. The company is seeking to raise up to US$10 billion through an IPO on the Hong Kong market as soon as July, according to sources close to the deal.