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

FWD Group Holdings / Equity Capital Markets

FWD, a pan-Asian life insurer founded by Richard Li, aims to raise up to US$3bn in its US IPO. FWD is a pan-Asia life insurer operating in ten markets including Hong Kong (and Macau), Thailand (and Cambodia), Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam and Malaysia. Southeast Asia markets contributed over 40% of its Value of New Business (VNB) in 2020. It had served over 9.9m customers as of Jun 21.In this note, we will talk about the positive aspects of the deal.

FWD, a pan-Asian life insurer founded by Richard Li, aims to raise up to US$3bn in its US IPO. FWD is a pan-Asia life insurer operating in ten markets including Hong Kong (and Macau), Thailand (and Cambodia), Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam and Malaysia. Southeast Asia markets contributed over 40% of its Value of New Business (VNB) in 2020. It had served over 9.9m customers as of Jun 21.In this note, we will talk about the positive aspects of the deal.

FWD Pre-IPO - The Positives - Growing Fast

Prudential aims to raise around US$2.8bn via an international and public offering in Hong Kong. The deal has been in the pipeline for a while and hence, is very well flagged.In this note, we will talk about the deal dynamics and run the deal through our ECM framework.

Prudential aims to raise around US$2.8bn via an international and public offering in Hong Kong. The deal has been in the pipeline for a while and hence, is very well flagged.In this note, we will talk about the deal dynamics and run the deal through our ECM framework.

Prudential Hong Kong Offering - Well Flagged Pivot to Asia, Mind the Liquidity Gap

Silver Point

Thomas J. Monaco

Independent Insight Provider

Silver Point is a boutique research firm that focuses on the broader financial services sector, with a particular focus on troubled institutions globally. 

Asia Ex Japan

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

*Gaming Caught In The Crosshairs: Mainland China indicated that changes are afoot to gaming regulations, including the appointment of government officials to supervise the companies - just as Macau's lucrative gaming licenses come up for re-bidding in 2022; and*Financials Likely Next: There appears to be a genuine timeline for each sector in mainland China to be taken out to the woodshed. Now that the gaming industry is now being placed under firm control, it would appear to only be a matter of time when the financial sector will be re-configured to suit mainland China’s vision – likely ahead of the national elections in 2022.

*Gaming Caught In The Crosshairs: Mainland China indicated that changes are afoot to gaming regulations, including the appointment of government officials to supervise the companies - just as Macau's lucrative gaming licenses come up for re-bidding in 2022; and*Financials Likely Next: There appears to be a genuine timeline for each sector in mainland China to be taken out to the woodshed. Now that the gaming industry is now being placed under firm control, it would appear to only be a matter of time when the financial sector will be re-configured to suit mainland China’s vision – likely ahead of the national elections in 2022.

Mainland China – Here Comes The Rein Again

Equity Bottom-Up

*Better, But Off A Low Base: AIA Group (1299.HK) [AIA] released its 1H21 results. Operating profit amounted to USD 3.2 bn, increasing 5% YOY, while VONB improved 22% YOY to USD 1.8 bn due to a combination of higher new sales volume (ANP up across all markets ex-Hong Kong which declined 11% YOY) and VONB margin expansion from (up 4.6% to 59.0%). Net profit improved to USD 3.2 bn, increasing 47% YOY due to the large negative investment variance in 1H20; and* China And Hong Kong Risks Still Need To Be Addressed: Concerned about weakening organic growth, AIA has gone on a deal-making spree: Bank of East Asia’s (23.HK) [BEA] wholly-owned life insurance unit, BEA Life; an exclusive 15-year bancassurance relationship with BEA; acquisition of Blue Cross (Asia-Pacific) Insurance’s underwritten closed life insurance; a strategic digital partnership with ZhongAn Online P&amp;C Insurance’ (6060.HK) [ZhongAn]; and received CBIRC approval to restructure its Shanghai-based life insurance branch into a wholly-owned subsidiary. In addition to the massive managerial distractions with so many deals at one time, there are challenges of bogusly rated AAA mainland Chinese bonds; no end in sight with its flailing Hong Kong flagship; and getting the BEA Life team on the same with AIA Hong Kong.

*Better, But Off A Low Base: AIA Group (1299.HK) [AIA] released its 1H21 results. Operating profit amounted to USD 3.2 bn, increasing 5% YOY, while VONB improved 22% YOY to USD 1.8 bn due to a combination of higher new sales volume (ANP up across all markets ex-Hong Kong which declined 11% YOY) and VONB margin expansion from (up 4.6% to 59.0%). Net profit improved to USD 3.2 bn, increasing 47% YOY due to the large negative investment variance in 1H20; and* China And Hong Kong Risks Still Need To Be Addressed: Concerned about weakening organic growth, AIA has gone on a deal-making spree: Bank of East Asia’s (23.HK) [BEA] wholly-owned life insurance unit, BEA Life; an exclusive 15-year bancassurance relationship with BEA; acquisition of Blue Cross (Asia-Pacific) Insurance’s underwritten closed life insurance; a strategic digital partnership with ZhongAn Online P&amp;C Insurance’ (6060.HK) [ZhongAn]; and received CBIRC approval to restructure its Shanghai-based life insurance branch into a wholly-owned subsidiary. In addition to the massive managerial distractions with so many deals at one time, there are challenges of bogusly rated AAA mainland Chinese bonds; no end in sight with its flailing Hong Kong flagship; and getting the BEA Life team on the same with AIA Hong Kong. 

ZhongAn Online P&C Insurance C / Equity Bottom-Up

*CBIRC Now Taking On Online Insurers: The China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission’s (CBIRC) roll out of the internet insurance revision plan “Notice on Carrying out Special Rectification of Internet Insurance Disorders” aims to scrutinize mainland China’s insurance technology platforms, ordering firms and agencies to end improper marketing and pricing practices, and improve privacy protections; and*Very Negative Implications For Insurers And Broader Market: This move by the CBIRC would intimate the near wipeout of the current generation of online insurers. This regulatory onslaught is stifling innovation and likely push business returns to well below the cost of equity. This heavy-handed approach is causing the outflow of foreign capital from mainland China to be sustainably heavy for an extended period of time.

*CBIRC Now Taking On Online Insurers: The China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission’s (CBIRC) roll out of the internet insurance revision plan “Notice on Carrying out Special Rectification of Internet Insurance Disorders” aims to scrutinize mainland China’s insurance technology platforms, ordering firms and agencies to end improper marketing and pricing practices, and improve privacy protections; and*Very Negative Implications For Insurers And Broader Market: This move by the CBIRC would intimate the near wipeout of the current generation of online insurers. This regulatory onslaught is stifling innovation and likely push business returns to well below the cost of equity. This heavy-handed approach is causing the outflow of foreign capital from mainland China to be sustainably heavy for an extended period of time.

ZhongAn Online P&C Insurance – Tapped By The Ugly Stick

United Kingdom

Prudential plc is an international company which provides a wide assortment of insurance and investment products and services. Insurance products include life, accident and health, property and casualty insurance, as well as fixed and variable annuities.  Financial and investment services include personal and group pensions, equity plans, mortgages and deposit accounts.

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Prudential PLC (PRU LN)

FWD Pre-IPO - The Positives - Growing Fast

FWD, a pan-Asian life insurer founded by Richard Li, aims to raise up to US$3bn in its US IPO. In this note, we will talk about the positive...

Sumeet Singh

Prudential Hong Kong Offering - Well Flagged Pivot to Asia, Mind the Liquidity Gap

Prudential aims to raise around US$2.8bn via an international and public offering in Hong Kong. The deal has been in the pipeline for a while.

Sumeet Singh

Mainland China – Here Comes The Rein Again

FINANCIALS IN CROSSHAIRS: Mainland China is appointing government officials to supervise the gaming companies. There appears to be a genuine...

Thomas J. Monaco

AIA Group – Its Own Worst Enemy

AIA GROUP: AIA's 1H21 operating profit improved 5% YOY off of a low base, while VONB improved 22%. With all of its aggressive moves in mainland...

Thomas J. Monaco

ZhongAn Online P&C Insurance – Tapped By The Ugly Stick

ZHONGAN ONLINE INSURANCE: The CBIRC has rolled out the “Notice on Carrying out Special Rectification of Internet Insurance Disorders”, ordering...

Thomas J. Monaco

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