Head of Research, IPOs & Placements, Aequitas Research

Sumeet Singh

Head of Research, IPOs & Placements

IPOs and Placements coverage across Asia Pacific

Aequitas Research

We cover all listing across the Asia Pacific along with follow-up placements. As of Dec 2020, our team had covered 539 IPOs with a hit rate of 73.5% and 685 placements with a hit rate of 66.8%.

We combine fundamental bottom-up views with our proprietary quantitative framework to provide a holistic coverage across new listings and placements. Our coverage includes pre-IPO notes before the deal is launched, follow-up analysis once the deal is live and post-listing trading analysis as well.

Equity Capital Markets

<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/k-bank-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:36073:1" rel="noopener">K Bank (279570 KS)</a> plans to raise up to US$740m in its upcoming South Korean IPO.</li>
<li>K Bank is one of three Internet-only banks in Korea. It provides a full range of commercial banking products and services.</li>
<li>In this note, we talk about the positive aspects of the deal.</li>
</ul>



K Bank (279570 KS) plans to raise up to US$740m in its upcoming South Korean IPO.
K Bank is one of three Internet-only banks in Korea. It provides a full range of commercial banking products and services.
In this note, we talk about the positive aspects of the deal.


Korea/Asia, Events, IPOs, Douglas Research Advisory

Douglas Kim

Korea/Asia, Events, IPOs

Douglas Research Advisory

<ul>
<li>Our base case valuation of K Bank is target price of 9,151 won per share, which is 4% lower than the low end of the IPO price range. </li>
<li>Given the lack of upside in our target price relative to the IPO price range, we would avoid in subscribing to the IPO.</li>
<li>Our base case valuation is based on 1.6x P/B multiple using the company's equity post IPO (2.35 trillion won). </li>
</ul>


Our base case valuation of K Bank is target price of 9,151 won per share, which is 4% lower than the low end of the IPO price range. 
Given the lack of upside in our target price relative to the IPO price range, we would avoid in subscribing to the IPO.
Our base case valuation is based on 1.6x P/B multiple using the company's equity post IPO (2.35 trillion won). 


Korea / Special Sits, Pairs, Index Rebalancing, Clepsydra Capital

Sanghyun Park

Korea / Special Sits, Pairs, Index Rebalancing

Clepsydra Capital

Investigate special situations, pairs, and index rebalancing trades in Korea.

<ul>
<li>Compared to its overseas peers, K-Bank’s high valuation still stands out due to a significant gap in net income size relative to market cap.</li>
<li>The offering structure, with 50% secondary sales and weak lock-up commitments, means post-IPO float could spike to around 40%, making a stock price bump unlikely.</li>
<li>K-Bank’s crypto-focused model might attract investors valuing it as a crypto play, potentially influencing IPO pricing and post-listing stock performance.</li>
</ul>


Compared to its overseas peers, K-Bank’s high valuation still stands out due to a significant gap in net income size relative to market cap.
The offering structure, with 50% secondary sales and weak lock-up commitments, means post-IPO float could spike to around 40%, making a stock price bump unlikely.
K-Bank’s crypto-focused model might attract investors valuing it as a crypto play, potentially influencing IPO pricing and post-listing stock performance.


K-Bank’s IPO Details Out: Aggressive Pricing, but as a Crypto Play, It Might Surprise

<ul>
<li>K Bank finally provided its IPO prospectus which includes more details of the IPO than what the company already announced about the IPO several days ago. </li>
<li>Bankers used KakaoBank, SBI Sumishin Net Bank, and Bancorp Inc as comps. Average PBR of 2.56x was used to value K Bank. </li>
<li>Some investors will question the inclusion of overseas comps including SBI Sumishin Net Bank and Bancorp in the valuation of K Bank.</li>
</ul>


K Bank finally provided its IPO prospectus which includes more details of the IPO than what the company already announced about the IPO several days ago. 
Bankers used KakaoBank, SBI Sumishin Net Bank, and Bancorp Inc as comps. Average PBR of 2.56x was used to value K Bank. 
Some investors will question the inclusion of overseas comps including SBI Sumishin Net Bank and Bancorp in the valuation of K Bank.


<ul>
<li>To justify a higher multiple, K-Bank is comparing itself to international internet banks, with KakaoBank as the only local peer. Differences in market conditions could complicate this comparison.</li>
<li>This might explains why K-Bank is cautiously testing the market by announcing the rights issue first and delaying the prospectus, amid regulatory crackdowns on inflated IPOs.</li>
<li>Controversy over high multiples from overseas peers and KakaoBank’s legal discount will be key in setting K-Bank’s IPO pricing.</li>
</ul>


To justify a higher multiple, K-Bank is comparing itself to international internet banks, with KakaoBank as the only local peer. Differences in market conditions could complicate this comparison.
This might explains why K-Bank is cautiously testing the market by announcing the rights issue first and delaying the prospectus, amid regulatory crackdowns on inflated IPOs.
Controversy over high multiples from overseas peers and KakaoBank’s legal discount will be key in setting K-Bank’s IPO pricing.


The Story Behind K-Bank Leaking Pricing Details Before the IPO Prospectus Dropped

South Korea

K Bank Co. Ltd. operates banking businesses. The Company provides deposits, withdrawals, loans, and other services. K Bank conducts businesses in South Korea.

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K Bank (279570 KS)

K Bank IPO - The Positives - Fast Growth

K Bank (279570 KS) plans to raise up to US$740m in its upcoming South Korean IPO. In this note, we talk about the positive aspects of the deal.

Sumeet Singh

K Bank IPO Valuation Analysis

Our base case valuation of K Bank is target price of 9,151 won per share, which is 4% lower than the low end of the IPO price range. We would avoid...

Douglas Kim

K-Bank’s IPO Details Out: Aggressive Pricing, but as a Crypto Play, It Might Surprise

This post breaks down K-Bank’s IPO prospectus, released late yesterday, and reviews the aggressive valuation, which could surprise if seen through...

Sanghyun Park

K Bank IPO Preview

K Bank provided its IPO prospectus which has more details of the IPO than what the company already announced about the IPO several days ago....

Douglas Kim

The Story Behind K-Bank Leaking Pricing Details Before the IPO Prospectus Dropped

This post examines why K-Bank chose to reveal pricing details before the IPO prospectus, in a bid to test market reaction.

Sanghyun Park

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