https://www.scmp.com/rss/45069/feed Alibaba is China's largest e-commerce company, with holdings in a wide portfolio of businesses from logistics, cloud services and finance to media. The company provides business-to-business, business-to-consumer and other services through platforms including Alibaba.com, Tmall, and Taobao. Alibaba is the owner of the South China Morning Post. It was co-founded by Jack Ma, who retired as chairman in 2019 but is still a major shareholder. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Chinese internet giant Alibaba has gained approval to raise as much as $15 billion dollars in a November share sale in Hong Kong, several sources told the South China Morning Post. Alibaba, which owns Inkstone, is already listed in New York. This secondary listing in Hong Kong would bolster the company’s capitalization and finally give investors in mainland China the chance to participate in the growth of one of the country’s most profitable technology giants. Investors in mainland China are... https://www.scmp.com/business/alibaba-gets-nod-sell-15-billion-worth-shares-hong-kong/article/3037563?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/alibaba-gets-nod-sell-15-billion-worth-shares-hong-kong/article/3037563?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 Nov 2019 11:42:04 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS In April 2019, around 15 years after it first purchased a Chinese shopping site that would later become Amazon China, the American retail giant finally announced it would stop running its China marketplace. The failure didn’t come as a surprise: Many Chinese consumers had been attached to homegrown platforms for a while, with Tmall being one of the most popular.  Tmall started as a spinoff from Alibaba’s Taobao. Both platforms make money by taking a cut... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/who-what/what/article/3028267/tmall-alibabas-answer-amazon-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/who-what/what/article/3028267/tmall-alibabas-answer-amazon-china?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Jun 2019 09:00:45 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS Being single can be kinda sad. So why not cheer yourself up with some shopping? That’s what a few lonely Chinese university students thought in the 1990s. They wanted to celebrate their single status by treating themselves, and since “11/11” looks like four lonely men standing next to each other, they held their little shopping spree on November 11th. From those humble beginnings, the world’s largest shopping event was born, dwarfing Black Friday and... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/who-what/what/article/3028252/singles-day-shopping-event-makes-black-friday-look-yard-sale?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/who-what/what/article/3028252/singles-day-shopping-event-makes-black-friday-look-yard-sale?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Nov 2018 13:39:28 +0000 Is it time for Alibaba to go home? The New York-listed shares of Chinese online tech giant Alibaba have soared, after reports that it is planning a secondary listing in China. The Wall Street Journal reported that Alibaba, which owns Inkstone, was exploring ways to allow investors in mainland China to trade its shares. The additional offering could happen as early as this summer, it reported. Alibaba, which scored the biggest US initial public offering of all time in 2014 when it listed on the... https://www.scmp.com/business/alibaba-planning-list-china/article/2137518?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/alibaba-planning-list-china/article/2137518?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Mar 2018 09:46:09 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS As a teenager in his native city of Hangzhou, Jack Ma used to hang around the shores of the famed West Lake, chatting to foreign tourists who were willing to let him practice English. As the naturally curious entrepreneur would later recall: "I knew the world was not as I was told, there was another world outside... the very important thing for people to do is communicate.” A TEACHER WITH AN IDEA Unlike the founders of China’s other tech giants, Tencent... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/who-what/who/article/3028218/failing-student-alibaba-founder-story-jack-ma?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/who-what/who/article/3028218/failing-student-alibaba-founder-story-jack-ma?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 Jan 2018 12:06:57 +0000 While millions of internet-savvy Chinese mainlanders benefit from escalating competition between two rapidly-growing taxi mobile applications fighting for dominance in the market, those without smartphones have found hailing a taxi in the street more difficult than ever. The taxi-booking applications Didi Dache and Kuaidi Dache, backed by internet giants Tencent and Alibaba respectively, are perhaps currently the two most popular apps in China. Recent promotions announcing hundreds of millions... https://www.scmp.com/news/china-insider/article/1417382/popular-chinese-taxi-booking-apps-leave-smartphone-free?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china-insider/article/1417382/popular-chinese-taxi-booking-apps-leave-smartphone-free?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Jan 2014 05:45:00 +0000 Could the Chinese tradition of giving red envelopes with cash inside as gifts go digital during this year’s Lunar New Year holiday? That is what the new feature on Tencent’s flagship messaging mobile application WeChat, a “red envelope" add-on which went viral this weekend, aims to do. The service introduced on Wechat is the latest clever integration of a Chinese element into a digital product. Since Sunday, the application has allowed its 600 million users around the world to send and receive... https://www.scmp.com/news/china-insider/article/1414936/wechats-new-red-envelope-feature-set-go-viral?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china-insider/article/1414936/wechats-new-red-envelope-feature-set-go-viral?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Jan 2014 10:15:45 +0000 Alibaba Group chairman Jack Ma Yun’s outspoken approach has not always made him friends among China’s average citizens, or the elite. In the latest controversy the 48-year-old internet guru has upset some of the nation’s wealthiest real estate tycoons by pledging to drive down the soaring price of housing with “the power of e-commerce”. Ironically, this follows Ma’s recent comments accusing tax-evading e-businesses of acting “immorally”. Property tycoons – some among the country’s most... https://www.scmp.com/news/china-insider/article/1355101/alibabas-jack-ma-delirious-says-real-estate-tycoon?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china-insider/article/1355101/alibabas-jack-ma-delirious-says-real-estate-tycoon?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 Nov 2013 07:45:45 +0000 Alibaba Group chairman Jack Ma Yun stirred up a hornet's nest on Tuesday after it was reported he had accused tax-evading e-businesses of acting “immorally” in a TV interview. Ma made the comment on a CCTV talk show recorded on the eve of China’s biggest online shopping day on Monday, when transactions on Alibaba’s major retailing platforms - Taobao and Tmall - topped 35 billion yuan (HK$44.2 billion) as discounts fuelled customer demand. “We support levying tax, and I’ve always firmly believed... https://www.scmp.com/news/china-insider/article/1354221/jack-ma-slams-e-business-owners-who-dont-pay-tax-immoral?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china-insider/article/1354221/jack-ma-slams-e-business-owners-who-dont-pay-tax-immoral?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Nov 2013 05:30:45 +0000 In a move to strengthen its position in China's vast and increasingly competitive e-commerce market, Alipay has upgraded its mobile application for smartphones to a version that allows users to pay for purchases even when they are not connected to the internet. The latest version of Alipay Wallet is based on a sound-wave technology that connects users' phones with vending machines. "Believe me, this is only the beginning of the innovation of Alipay Wallet," said Fan Zhiming, president of the... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/1333290/alipay-upgrades-mobile-application?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/1333290/alipay-upgrades-mobile-application?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Oct 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Yahoo said on Tuesday it would keep a larger stake in Alibaba Group than originally planned after the Chinese e-commerce giant goes public, hoping to profit from the company’s future growth. Alibaba is expected to file for an estimated US$15 billion IPO next year, valuing the operator of retail, auction and content websites at more than US$100 billion. The initial publice offering is one of the most eagerly anticipated internet debuts since Facebook last year. Alibaba has decided not to list its... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1333005/yahoo-keep-bigger-stake-planned-alibaba-after-ipo?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1333005/yahoo-keep-bigger-stake-planned-alibaba-after-ipo?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Oct 2013 07:20:48 +0000 Alibaba Group, the mainland's biggest e-commerce services provider, looks set to burnish its credentials with more foreign luxury brands after it forged an anti-counterfeiting pact with French fashion house Louis Vuitton Malletier. Taobao Marketplace, Alibaba's popular consumer-to-consumer online shopping platform, last week agreed to co-operate with Louis Vuitton in taking down listings of suspected counterfeit goods and implementing preventive measures against the sale of fake merchandise. It... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1332579/alibaba-wants-counterfeiters-go-out-fashion-its-online-platform?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1332579/alibaba-wants-counterfeiters-go-out-fashion-its-online-platform?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Oct 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Alibaba Group’s plans to revolutionise China’s retail industry, investing US$16 billion in logistics and support by 2020, will open up the country’s vast interior and bring access to hundreds of millions of potential new customers. With an extra US$15 billion or so in its pocket from a likely initial public offering, Alibaba and partners such as delivery service firms and life insurers will pump cash into revamping China’s fragile supply chains and big new data centres to process reams of... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/1331459/alibabas-quest-build-nationwide-online-retail-network?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/1331459/alibabas-quest-build-nationwide-online-retail-network?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 Oct 2013 07:31:05 +0000 Alibaba Group has led an investment round of about US$200 million in fledgling US retail website ShopRunner, a source with knowledge of the deal said. It is one of the largest US investments made by the Chinese e-commerce giant, which is preparing to go public, possibly in the United States. The source, who requested anonymity, did not say how much of a stake Alibaba owns of ShopRunner, the three-year-old retail startup backed by eBay and run by former Yahoo chief executive Scott Thompson, or... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1329239/alibaba-consortium-buys-us200-million-stake-us-retail-website?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1329239/alibaba-consortium-buys-us200-million-stake-us-retail-website?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Oct 2013 02:26:18 +0000 Alibaba Group would cut the number of partners the firm has and bind them to a three-year share sale ban if Hong Kong regulators accept a controversial management structure that is blocking its potential HK$100 billion initial public offering, a source close to the listing authorities told the South China Morning Post. The proposal had been floated to the stock exchange's listing committee ahead of a regular meeting tomorrow, but no formal listing application had yet been submitted, the source... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1317046/alibaba-open-ipo-concessions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1317046/alibaba-open-ipo-concessions?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Sep 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Alibaba Group’s founder, Jack Ma, took another stab at shaking up China’s banking industry as the country’s largest e-commerce firm sealed a strategic pact with mid-sized lender China Minsheng Banking to offer financial services. Hangzhou-based Alibaba, better known for its online platforms that resemble a mix of EBay and Amazon.com, has accelerated its move into China’s financial services sector in recent years to support businesses on its platforms. Since 2010, Alibaba has been offering... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1310933/alibabas-ma-expands-banking-foray-china-minsheng-tie?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1310933/alibabas-ma-expands-banking-foray-china-minsheng-tie?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Sep 2013 10:34:12 +0000 There are some interesting news bits at opposite ends of the listing spectrum today, with word that e-commerce giant Alibaba has received a setback in its plans for a Hong Kong IPO, while chipmaker Spreadtrum (Nasdaq: SPRD) is on the cusp of de-listing from the Nasdaq. In the middle of the spectrum is newly listed e-commerce firm LightInTheBox (NYSE: LITB), whose honeymoon after its June IPO has abruptly ended with a rapid tumble in its share price which has resulted in a newly filed shareholder... https://www.scmp.com/comment/blogs/article/1306096/listings-alibaba-setback-spreadtrum-bows?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/blogs/article/1306096/listings-alibaba-setback-spreadtrum-bows?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Sep 2013 01:13:38 +0000 Internet leaders Baidu (Nasdaq: BIDU) and Alibaba are in a recent war to see who can win the most headlines for online M&A, which has suddenly accelerated in China after years of inactivity. In the last 24 hours alone, media are reporting that Alibaba has finalized a deal to team with Hunan Satellite Television to purchase PPTV, one of China's top video sharing sites. Not to be outdone, Baidu was reported earlier this week to be in late-stage talks to buy group buying site Nuomi, and has just... https://www.scmp.com/comment/blogs/article/1297118/more-ma-alibaba-pptv-tie-talk?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/blogs/article/1297118/more-ma-alibaba-pptv-tie-talk?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Aug 2013 06:35:08 +0000 Not much had been going right for Yahoo until it lured Marissa Mayer away from Google to become its chief executive last summer. The move is shaping up as the best thing to happen to Yahoo since 2005 when it invested US$1 billion (HK$7.76 billion) in what was then a little-known Internet company in China, Alibaba. Mayer’s magnetism and Alibaba’s prosperity are now combining to transform Yahoo from a tale of woe into a comeback story that is winning over Silicon Valley and Wall Street. People are... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1283822/magnetic-boss-alibaba-jackpot-rejuvenate-yahoo?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1283822/magnetic-boss-alibaba-jackpot-rejuvenate-yahoo?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Jul 2013 03:43:45 +0000 Alibaba Group chairman Jack Ma Yun has always been a media favourite, but he now says he'd like to disappear from public view and turn a new page in life to focus on "things that really interest" him. "Commerce will only be a hobby," Ma, who stepped down as chief executive of the mainland's largest e-commerce company on May 10, told the South China Morning Post. The self-made billionaire, formerly an English teacher in Hangzhou, is one of the most successful internet entrepreneurs in China, but... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1281381/alibaba-founder-jack-ma-turns-pursuing-cultural-endeavours?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1281381/alibaba-founder-jack-ma-turns-pursuing-cultural-endeavours?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Jul 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Alibaba Group, the mainland's largest e-commerce services provider, yesterday established a consortium to build an advanced, nationwide logistics infrastructure to support the country's fast-growing online shopping market. The newly formed Cainiao Network Technology plans to invest as much as 100 billion yuan (HK$126.8 billion) over the next five to eight years to develop and manage the ambitious project, called the China Smart Logistics Network. Led by Alibaba, the consortium's members include... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1248539/alibaba-forms-consortium-build-100b-yuan-logistics-network?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1248539/alibaba-forms-consortium-build-100b-yuan-logistics-network?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 May 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Alibaba chief Jack Ma stepped down on Friday before a potential initial public offering as the Chinese online retail giant announced a $294 million stake purchase in digital mapping firm AutoNavi. Alibaba, the world’s largest online retailer, said it bought a 28 per cent stake in Nasdaq-listed AutoNavi, its second big purchase in as many weeks. The deal follows Alibaba’s $586 million purchase of an 18 per cent stake in China’s dominant microblog provider Sina Weibo, a separate transaction that... https://www.scmp.com/article/1235251/alibaba-chief-steps-down-294-mn-deal-announced?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1235251/alibaba-chief-steps-down-294-mn-deal-announced?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 May 2013 02:09:03 +0000 It looks like I may have been premature in declaring last month that talks for a tie-up between leading web portal Sina (Nasdaq: SINA) and e-commerce leader Alibaba were dead. According to the latest reports, the pair have resuscitated their negotiations that began late last year and later collapsed due to disagreement over a valuation for Sina's popular Weibo microblogging platform. Now media are reporting the talks have quietly resumed in recent weeks, and a deal could be announced very... https://www.scmp.com/comment/blogs/article/1225834/sina-alibaba-resurrect-tie-talks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/blogs/article/1225834/sina-alibaba-resurrect-tie-talks?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Apr 2013 02:55:17 +0000 Alibaba Group chairman Jack Ma Yun predicts that the mainland's e-commerce market is entering a "golden age", which will see 30 per cent of total retail sales moving online in the next five years. In his keynote address at the Credit Suisse Asian Investment Conference yesterday, Ma said that was a "very conservative" growth forecast since he expected advances in mobile e-commerce and the domestic logistics infrastructure supporting online sales. The event also served as the first public forum in... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/1195808/jack-ma-sees-china-online-trade-entering-golden-age?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/1195808/jack-ma-sees-china-online-trade-entering-golden-age?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 20 Mar 2013 16:00:00 +0000 The destination of Alibaba Group's much-anticipated initial public offering will likely be determined by this catchphrase: "Show me the money". Market analysts yesterday said the IPO for the mainland's largest e-commerce company would be conducted where it could get the highest value for its shares in what could be the biggest technology-related offering this year. Hangzhou-based Alibaba is apparently keen to explore its best options as its senior finance executives held closed-door discussions... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1185888/alibaba-follows-money-ipo-destination?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1185888/alibaba-follows-money-ipo-destination?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 Mar 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Alibaba Group, the mainland's largest e-commerce company, could be saying "Open Sesame" to a public listing on the Nasdaq Stock Market if an afternoon meeting between the two parties was any indication. Senior finance executives of the Hangzhou-based company, which is widely expected to be planning its initial public offering this year, held a closed-door discussion with a representative of the American exchange yesterday at an undisclosed venue in Hong Kong, two people familiar with the... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/1184285/alibaba-may-be-considering-ipo-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/1184285/alibaba-may-be-considering-ipo-us?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 Mar 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Alibaba, the mainland's largest e-commerce firm, is suing four Hong Kong companies for trademark infringement. The group is suing Alipay Limited, a company that shares the same name as the online payment tool that customers of Alibaba use. Alibaba, which runs the popular online shipping site Taobao, is suing Officeplus Company for using the Chinese characters for Taobao in its company name. The group is also suing Rating Industrial and Tian Mao International, whose Chinese names contain words... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1142177/alibaba-writ-claims-four-hong-kong-companies-stole-its-names?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1142177/alibaba-writ-claims-four-hong-kong-companies-stole-its-names?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 02 Feb 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Farmers in Guanyeping village, in China's Henan province, are using e-commerce via Taobao to sell herbs for Chinese medicine, significantly improving their standard of living. Du Qianli is the founder and owner of Gift of the Mountain Products Company, the first Taobao shop selling organic herbs gathered from Taihang mountain. It is an isolated mountain where about 100 poor farmers scratch out a living growing wheat and corn -- just as their families have done for generations. As the video... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/1108078/chinese-farmers-turn-e-commerce-sell-medicinal-herbs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/1108078/chinese-farmers-turn-e-commerce-sell-medicinal-herbs?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Dec 2012 03:14:37 +0000 Mainland e-commerce giant Alibaba Group said its customer-to-customer online trading platform Taobao has been growing robustly in Hong Kong. Group spokeswoman Florence Shih said: "With more than 800 million product listings at any given time, consumers can select and purchase products they may be unable to find in their local markets." Taobao announced the number of registered users in Hong Kong surpassed one million in June and in September said the number had reached 1.2 million. "We have... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1102540/alibaba-celebrates-12-million-users-taobao-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1102540/alibaba-celebrates-12-million-users-taobao-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Dec 2012 16:00:00 +0000 The Alibaba Group's internet retail subsidiaries, Taobao Marketplace and Tmall.com have teamed up with convenience store giant 7-Eleven to deliver a more efficient payment tool for Hong Kong consumers to shop online. The new Alipay card was jointly unveiled yesterday by the two Taobao companies and 7-Eleven, which has started offering the electronic voucher at its more than 920 stores in the city. "Taobao Marketplace and Tmall.com combined have already exceeded one million registered users in... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/1077432/taobao-7-eleven-offer-new-payment-scheme-hong-kongs-online?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/1077432/taobao-7-eleven-offer-new-payment-scheme-hong-kongs-online?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Nov 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Russian egg candle, HK$340, from Heather & March, Prince's Building, Central, tel: 2530 0686.                 Alibaba lace teapot, HK$2,350, from I.D., Prince's Building, tel: 2523 3006.                 Cloud enamel coaster set, HK$1,880, from Shanghai Tang, 1 Duddell Street, Central, tel: 2525 7333.               Le Jacquard Francais tablecloth from Rajasthan, HK$1,950, from Altfield, 12/F, 9 Queen's Road Central, tel: 2524 3066.               Nico Decor by Houles curtain tieback, HK$953,... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/1056370/objects-desire-boho?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/1056370/objects-desire-boho?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Oct 2012 16:00:00 +0000 ChinaSoft International, a leading software and information-technology services provider based in Beijing, will collaborate with a subsidiary of Alibaba Group in a major cloud-computing initiative targeted at mainland companies and government agencies. ChinaSoft, which is listed in Hong Kong, yesterday signed a co-operation agreement with Alibaba Cloud Computing (AliCloud) to make available over the internet ChinaSoft's flagship Resource One middleware platform, which is a set of programmes for... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1053304/chinasoft-alibaba-subsidiary-form-cloud-computing-alliance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1053304/chinasoft-alibaba-subsidiary-form-cloud-computing-alliance?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Oct 2012 16:00:00 +0000 China’s largest e-commerce company, Alibaba, has won support from the US movie industry in its campaign to persuade the Obama administration to drop its Taobao.com website from a US list of “notorious markets” that sell fake goods. But US software, clothing and shoe manufacturers are urging USTR to keep Taobao on the annual list, which is expected to be released in coming months. Alibaba, which is partly owned by Yahoo, has spent the past year reaching out to US groups to address concerns that... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/1048431/taobao-makes-big-push-shed-us-notorious-label?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/1048431/taobao-makes-big-push-shed-us-notorious-label?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Sep 2012 03:30:15 +0000 Jack Ma Yun, the chairman and chief executive of Alibaba Group, has never been one to shy away from a challenge. A week after internet giant Google strong-armed Acer into scuttling the launch of a new smartphone that runs Alibaba's self-developed mobile operating system, Ma went on the offensive with a new strategy to expand its reach in the mainland's huge smart devices market. The Aliyun OS business under subsidiary Alibaba Cloud Computing (AliCloud) will be spun off as an independent... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1045306/alibaba-chief-digs-mobile-software-platform-battle?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1045306/alibaba-chief-digs-mobile-software-platform-battle?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Sep 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Alibaba Group, the country's largest e-commerce company, expects to keep its "strategic flexibility" after sewing up more than US$12 billion over the past 12 months to help finance its initial share buy-back deal with Yahoo. A person familiar with Alibaba's financing efforts said the company still had about US$3 billion in cash after it completed the repurchase of half of the 40 per cent stake Yahoo held in the Chinese company and restructured its other business interests in transactions that... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/1041044/after-yahoo-share-buy-back-alibaba-aims-bolster-operations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/1041044/after-yahoo-share-buy-back-alibaba-aims-bolster-operations?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Sep 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Taobao.com the customer-to-customer online trading platform under mainland e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, claims it now has 1.2 million registered users in Hong Kong. The figure topped 1 million in June. "Hong Kong and Taiwan are the first steps of our effort to go overseas," said Daphne Lee, director of Taobao's international business. "We have no ambitious targets for these markets currently. We will focus on improving service this year, popularising the platform among more users and helping... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/1033699/taobao-signs-12-million-registered-users-hong-kong-overseas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/1033699/taobao-signs-12-million-registered-users-hong-kong-overseas?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Sep 2012 16:00:00 +0000 E-commerce giant Alibaba Group is close to sewing up more than US$8 billion in financing to buy back half of the 40 per cent stake in the mainland company that Yahoo owns, a person in Hong Kong familiar with the funding initiative said. Hangzhou, Zhejiang-based Alibaba will use about US$7.1 billion of that new capital for an initial repurchase of 20 per cent of the company held by Yahoo. The two parties reached an agreement in May for Alibaba to buy back in stages all the shares Yahoo acquired... https://www.scmp.com/article/1008243/us8b-sight-alibaba-buy-back?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1008243/us8b-sight-alibaba-buy-back?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Jul 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Mainland e-commerce giant Alibaba Group has split its recently privatised flagship company, Alibaba.com, into two separate firms in a restructure designed to boost its operating efficiency. It is the latest organisational change by Hangzhou-based Alibaba since June last year, when it split online retail services unit Taobao into three wholly owned subsidiaries, each focused on specific e-commerce market segments. Group spokeswoman Florence Shih said Alibaba.com, the world's biggest... https://www.scmp.com/article/1007614/alibabacom-cleaved-two-efficiency-drive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1007614/alibabacom-cleaved-two-efficiency-drive?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Jul 2012 16:00:00 +0000 China Investment Corp (CIC), the mainland's US$300 billion sovereign wealth fund, is considering an investment worth at least US$2 billion in Alibaba Group. The e-commerce giant is seeking capital to fund a share buy-back deal with US internet company Yahoo. An international investment bank hired by Alibaba submitted a proposal to Beijing-headquartered CIC several weeks ago asking it to provide financial support to the Hangzhou-based company founded by mainland entrepreneur Jack Ma Yun. People... https://www.scmp.com/article/1006944/cic-eyes-us2b-injection-alibaba-group?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1006944/cic-eyes-us2b-injection-alibaba-group?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Jul 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Mainland e-commerce giant Alibaba Group said yesterday that police had detained a former general manager of its group-buying business on suspicion of taking bribes. The company had said in March that the employee, Yan Limin, had been removed from his position. According to the company, misconduct in the group-buying arm had been spotted since the middle of last year, for which it held Yan responsible. Juhuasuan.com, the website set up by Alibaba in March 2010, says it has 12 million consumers... https://www.scmp.com/article/1006031/police-hold-ex-head-alibaba-offshoot?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1006031/police-hold-ex-head-alibaba-offshoot?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Jul 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Watch out, Alibaba.com. Here comes Tradesparq, a start-up aiming to provide buyers and suppliers with a more efficient and cost-effective way to verify potential trade partners. Established in 2010, the Shanghai-based business-to-business (B2B) trading platform is trying to get a step ahead of Hangzhou-based Alibaba.com, the world's largest B2B e-commerce service provider, envisioning a new online marketplace where Alibaba meets LinkedIn, a social networking site for professionals. Tradesparq... https://www.scmp.com/article/1005834/tradesparq-sets-out-rival-alibaba?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1005834/tradesparq-sets-out-rival-alibaba?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Jul 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Alibaba.com is quietly moving out of the Hong Kong stock exchange today as a private company, less than five years after its frenzied, high-profile initial public offering. The company, the world's largest business-to-business e-commerce services provider, will withdraw the listing of its shares from the exchange at 4pm after recently completing its privatisation. Senior executives would not make any formal comments about today's transition, which a spokeswoman described as 'a mechanical finish... https://www.scmp.com/article/1004435/alibaba-opens-doors-new-path-delisting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1004435/alibaba-opens-doors-new-path-delisting?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Jun 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Jack Ma Yun, the chairman and chief executive of Alibaba Group, is getting a freer rein to chart the course of developing the e-commerce empire he co-founded in 1999 after scooping a pair of major deals this week. Alibaba's proposal to privatise its Hong Kong-listed subsidiary Alibaba.com, the world's largest business-to-business e-commerce services provider, was overwhelmingly approved yesterday at a special shareholders meeting. That followed an agreement hammered out between Alibaba and... https://www.scmp.com/article/1002025/its-just-got-lot-better-alibabas-chairman?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1002025/its-just-got-lot-better-alibabas-chairman?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 25 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Alibaba Group has been put on a path to an initial public offering after the mainland e-commerce giant yesterday reached a share buy-back agreement with Yahoo, the struggling internet pioneer. A source close to the Yahoo transaction said there were a couple of incentives in the deal that may make it attractive for Alibaba's management team to consider an IPO by late 2015. Hangzhou-based Alibaba, which is the parent of Hong Kong-listed Alibaba.com, will purchase in stages Yahoo's 40 per cent... https://www.scmp.com/article/1001672/alibaba-seals-deal-yahoo-buy-back?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1001672/alibaba-seals-deal-yahoo-buy-back?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Taobao, China's biggest online shopping services provider, aims to ramp up its crackdown on counterfeit goods, particularly fake watches, sold on its trading platforms. According to an industry source, the Taobao group of companies was working with Swiss watchmakers Tissot, Omega, Rado and Longines to help mainland police bust online vendors selling knock-offs of their products. Taobao has also removed 77 million products that infringe intellectual property rights (IPR) from its websites in the... https://www.scmp.com/article/1000502/taobao-getting-tougher-fakes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1000502/taobao-getting-tougher-fakes?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Mainland e-commerce giant Alibaba Group has warned there will be no let-up in a crackdown on corruption at online retail unit Taobao. Alibaba, which is also the parent of Hong Kong-listed Alibaba.com, yesterday posted a notice on the Taobao website that called on merchants that used the mainland's leading internet shopping services provider to help in its anti-corruption efforts. It said some Taobao employees had been caught making 'private deals' with certain online vendors. Offending... https://www.scmp.com/article/1000100/alibaba-vows-fight-corruption?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1000100/alibaba-vows-fight-corruption?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 04 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Mainland e-commerce giant Alibaba Group moved a step closer to taking its subsidiary Alibaba.com private after its offer was endorsed by the Hong Kong-listed unit's independent board committee and financial adviser. Alibaba, which is controlled by mainland entrepreneur Jack Ma Yun, has offered to buy out the minority shareholders of Alibaba.com for HK$18.39 billion, according to the 'scheme document' jointly filed by the two firms yesterday with the Hong Kong stock exchange. 'We consider the... https://www.scmp.com/article/999095/backing-alibabacom-buyout?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/999095/backing-alibabacom-buyout?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Apr 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Mainland e-commerce giant Alibaba Group saw the share price of its Hong Kong-listed flagship, Alibaba.com, soar yesterday after it offered to privatise the company and buy out minority investors for about HK$19.6 billion in cash. Alibaba.com's stock rose 42.7 per cent to finish at HK$13.20 in the first day of trading since it was suspended on February 9. That was the share price's highest close since reaching HK$13.24 on June 1 last year and the biggest percentage jump in more than four years.... https://www.scmp.com/article/993469/alibabas-shares-rocket-42pc?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/993469/alibabas-shares-rocket-42pc?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Alibaba Group, the mainland's largest e-commerce company, yesterday offered to take its Hong Kong-listed subsidiary Alibaba.com private for up to HK$19.6 billion in cash. The Hangzhou-based company is offering HK$13.50 per share to minority shareholders, which implies a 60.4 per cent premium over the 60-day average closing price of Alibaba.com shares and a 55.3 per cent premium over the 10-day average closing price. The company, along with other parties in this proposal, own 73.45 per cent of... https://www.scmp.com/article/993381/alibaba-offers-hk196b-buy-out-hk-investors?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/993381/alibaba-offers-hk196b-buy-out-hk-investors?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000 While internet entrepreneur Jack Ma Yun finds himself at the centre of multibillion-dollar deals that could transform his company, Alibaba Group, these are apparently just a means to even loftier goals. Ma, who shows a business savvy that defies his modest training as a high-school English teacher in Hangzhou, is behind Alibaba Group's reported deal to buy back the 40 per cent stake that internet firm Yahoo bought from the mainland company for US$1 billion in 2005. That stake may now be worth... https://www.scmp.com/article/992325/jack-ma-still-giving-back-pursuit-his-dream?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/992325/jack-ma-still-giving-back-pursuit-his-dream?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000