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

Shenzhen Transsion Holdings, the African market leader in phone manufacturing, plans to launch its Hong Kong share sale on Wednesday, aiming to raise up to US$500 million. The company, already listed in Shanghai with a market capitalization of 62 billion yuan, could offer up to 132 million offshore ordinary shares through a listing slated for October 15.

The public offering will be available for trading from October 7 to 12, with the fundraising target half of what the company sought last year, according to sources familiar with the matter. Transsion, founded in 2013, dominates the African mobile phone market, selling over 91 million devices last year, accounting for 53% of regional market share, according to its regulatory filings.

The company has expanded into Latin America and Southeast Asia, yet maintains no presence in China. However, Transsion has faced increasing competition in Africa from rivals like Xiaomi and Oppo, as well as rising chip procurement costs leading to price hikes. The company's revenue fell 4% to 65.5 billion yuan last year, while profit dropped 53% to 2.6 billion yuan.

Despite a revenue and profit rebound in the first half of this year, Transsion's shares on the Shanghai-listed market have fallen about 70% from their 2021 peak and 16% this year. Citic Securities is the sole sponsor for the Hong Kong listing, according to the company’s prospectus.