China’s Transsion, Africa’s top phone maker, targets US$500 million Hong Kong listing

Shenzhen-based Transsion Holdings, Africa's leading phone manufacturer, plans to initiate its Hong Kong share sale on Wednesday with the aim of raising up to US$500 million. The company, already listed in Shanghai with a market value of 62 billion yuan (US$9.24 billion), may offer up to 132 million offshore ordinary shares during the offering, according to documents from the China Securities Regulatory Commission.

The public offering is scheduled to run from October 7 to 12, with trading beginning on October 15, and the fundraising target is half of what the company aimed for last year, as per sources familiar with the matter.

Founded in 2013, Transsion leads the African mobile phone market, with its three brands - Tecno, Infinix, and iTel - selling over 91 million devices last year and capturing 53% of the regional market share, according to the company's regulatory filings. The Shenzhen company has also expanded into Latin America and Southeast Asia, although its brands have no presence in China.

However, Transsion has faced challenges in recent years, including intense competition from rivals like Xiaomi and Oppo in Africa and rising chip procurement costs forcing the company to raise retail prices. The company's annual revenue declined 4% to 65.5 billion yuan last year, while profit fell 53% to 2.6 billion yuan, as per the company's filings.

Despite a revenue and earnings rebound in the first half of this year, Transsion's Shanghai-listed shares are down about 70% from their 2021 peak and have fallen 16% this year.

Citic Securities is the sole sponsor for the Hong Kong listing, according to the company's prospectus.