Ant Financial shares are being offered privately at levels which value the Chinese financial giant at USD 200 billion, two people with knowledge of the discussions said, lifting it up the ranks of the most valuable unlisted companies.
Alibaba affiliate Ant, which had an implied valuation of $150 billion during a 2018 fundraising, is preparing to step up plans for eventually going public in Hong Kong and mainland China, three other sources told Reuters.
Speculation has grown that Ant, the world's largest so-called "unicorn" -- a newly-formed unlisted tech firm valued at $1 billion or more -- is working towards an IPO this year.