Bitcoin Mining Manufacturer Canaan Files for Hong Kong Stock Exchange IPO

Canaan Creative Co. Ltd, the Chinese company behind the Avalon lineup of hardware equipment which produces ASIC mining chips and rigs, has officially submitted a listing application to Asia’s third-largest equities market – the Hong Kong stock exchange.

Also Read: HTC to Launch Its Own Cryptocurrency-Focused Smartphone, Exodus

$1 Billion IPO

Canaan posted a preliminary prospectus on Tuesday revealing it brought in a revenue of 1.3 billion yuan in 2017 and that its net income jumped over 600% to 361 million yuan. Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank AG, Credit Suisse Group AG and CMB International Capital Ltd. are named as joint sponsors of the proposed offering in the preliminary prospectus. The filing did not specify the amount Canaan will try to raise in the public offering but it is widely expected to be around $1 billion.

The Chinese ASIC cryptocurrency hardware market grew to 7.3 billion yuan in 2017 from just 50 million yuan in 2013, Canaan revealed in the filing, and consultant Frost & Sullivan extrapolates, that it will reach 28.6 billion yuan by 2020. The exact target date for the stock listing Canaan has in mind was not made public, and might change along with other details as the matter is evolving, but a person with knowledge of the situation told Bloomberg the company aims to start trading as soon as July 2018, just about two months from now.

Canaan to HK

The Hong Kong market wasn’t the company’s only possible avenue for listing. Last year Canaan was known to be looking to list on China’s National Equities Exchange and Quotations, an over-the-counter market, and earlier this year it was reportedly examining its options for a US-based IPO. The company didn’t explain why it eventually picked Hong Kong but it is safe to assume that the less hostile regulatory approach on the island, compared to both mainland China and the US, played a part in the decision.

Back in April, we reported that the company employs around 200 people in Beijing and Hangzhou, mostly in R&D, and is looking to hire more. Canaan might use its chip development know-how and capabilities to create an unexpected new lineup of products. These can include home appliances such as television sets that mine cryptocurrencies “while you sleep.” Other developments include chips to power artificial intelligence (AI) applications and of course new hardware for mining additional cryptocurrencies.

Should all stock investors add an ASIC producer to their portfolio to get exposure to the bitcoin market? Share your thoughts in the comments section below. 

Images courtesy of Shutterstock.

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