How to buy Ant Group shares in the UK

UK investors may need to get creative to back this highly anticipated Chinese IPO.

Ant Group’s initial public offering postponed by Shanghai Stock Exchange

After supervisory interviews, Shanghai Stock Exchange postponed Ant Group’s IPO in late 2020 due to changes in the financial technology regulatory environment and other “major issues”.

Chinese fintech giant Ant Group, formerly known as Ant Financial, operates Alipay, the world’s largest digital payments platform. As it prepares to go public in one of the world’s largest initial public offerings (IPOs), here’s what you need to know about how to buy Ant Group shares in the UK.

What we know about the Ant Financial IPO

Hangzhou-headquartered Ant Group plans to go public through a parallel listing on Hong Kong and Shanghai stock exchanges.

This Alibaba affiliate aims to raise as much as US$34.5 billion through its dual-listing. If successful, this listing will break world records for the largest IPO to date. It also happens to be the first time a listing of its size is being priced outside of New York City.

Ant Group plans to evenly split its offerings between the two exchanges, with up to 1.67 billion shares up for grabs on each exchange, accounting for 11% of total outstanding shares. The New York Times suggests that Ant Group could be worth as much as US$310 billion.

This valuation puts it on par with JPMorgan Chase, one of the largest financial institutions in the world.

The projected price for Ant Group’s Shanghai stock was 68.8 yuan (about £7.97), while its Hong Kong stock was expected to launch at 80 Hong Kong dollars (about £8). Shares were expected to go live on their respective exchanges on 5 November 2020.

There’s no way to predict exactly how the IPO will ultimately shake out. We’ll update this page as more information becomes available.

How to invest in Ant Group from the UK

Although Ant Group’s stock will only be available on Chinese exchanges, UK investors can still buy shares. In fact, there are three ways that you can invest in Ant Group from the UK.

1. Use an international share trading account

As Ant Group will be listed on the Hong Kong exchange, if you want to buy Ant Group shares you’re going to need a trading account which gives you access to international shares.

There are several providers which support the Hong Kong stock exchange in the UK, including eToro, interactive investor, Degiro and Saxo Bank. At the moment, interactive investor is running a promotion which gives you £100 of free trades for new customers. Pretty sweet!

All of these platforms offer Ant Group shares
Table: sorted by promoted deals first

All investing should be regarded as longer term. The value of your investments can go up and down, and you may get back less than you invest. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. If you’re not sure which investments are right for you, please seek out a financial adviser. Capital at risk.


2. Buy Alibaba shares

Another option for investors who want to purchase Ant Group stocks is to back its parent company, Alibaba. This is a less direct investment than purchasing Ant Group stocks outright and you’ll need a share-trading account that lets you trade US stocks. Alibaba trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol BABA.

Get more detailed information and learn how to buy BABA stock.

3. Buy ETFs

You can also indirectly add Ant Group stocks to your portfolio by investing in exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that track the stock. Once the stock hits the market, keep an eye out for ETFs that add Ant Group shares to their overall holdings. By purchasing these ETFs, you’ll gain some exposure to Ant Group’s stock.

The following ETFs already invest heavily in Chinese stocks, so they may be worth watching once Ant shares go live:

  • iShares MSCI China ETF
  • KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF
  • Renaissance Capital’s International IPO ETF
  • SPDR S&P China ETF
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Ant Group’s balance sheet

Ant Group is a subsidiary of Alibaba Group and was formed in 2014 to manage Alipay, a digital payments platform with over 711 million active users.

For the 6 months ended in June 2020, Ant reported revenue of 72.5 billion yuan (about £8.1 billion). Profits over the same time period were 21.9 billion yuan, or £2.4 billion. These figures put Ant Group’s revenue up 38% from the same period in 2019, a promising trend for interested investors.

Ant reports that its payment app, Alipay, processed 118 trillion yuan (£13.1 trillion) in transactions for the 12 months ending in June 2020.

Zoe Stabler DipFA's headshot
Senior writer

Zoe was a senior writer at Finder specialising in investment and banking, and during this time, she joined the Women in FinTech Powerlist 2022. She is currently a senior money writer at Be Clever With Your Cash. Zoe has a BA in English literature and a Diploma for Financial Advisers. She has several years of experience in writing about all things personal finance. Zoe has a particular love for spreadsheets, having also worked as a management accountant. In her spare time, you’ll find Zoe skating at her local ice rink. See full bio

Zoe's expertise
Zoe has written 163 Finder guides across topics including:
  • Share dealing
  • Reviews and comparisons of trading platforms
  • Robo-advisors
  • Pensions
  • Banking

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