ByteDance sells loss-making securities unit to local brokerage as world’s most valuable unicorn retreats from financial services

  • The securities business, which launched a stock-tracking app in 2017, marked ByteDance’s debut in the financial services industry, which is now heavily regulated
  • Last year, ByteDance reorganised its sprawling business empire into six units, but it did not create a stand-alone group for its financial services business

ByteDance, which owns TikTok, is the world’s most valuable unicorn. Photo: Shutterstock

TikTok owner ByteDance, which is pulling back from some business sectors under scrutiny from Beijing, has sold an intelligent stock market investment product to local brokerage ChinaLin Securities.

The deal priced ByteDance’s wholly-owned subsidiary Beijing Wenxing Online Technology Co Ltd at 20 million yuan (US$3.16 million), ChinaLin said in a statement posted on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange website.

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