Alibaba eyes US$3.2 billion boost for cloud and global e-commerce push

Alibaba Group Holding plans to raise US$3.2 billion by selling zero-coupon convertible senior notes, part of moves to fund its cloud and international e-commerce operations, according to a stock exchange filing on Thursday.

The zero-coupon convertible senior notes – which mature on September 15, 2032 – would be sold via a private offering to non-US investors, the filing said.

The US dollar-denomi denominated notes will not pay any interest but will allow bondholders to exchange the notes into US-listed shares of Alibaba. Upon exchange, Alibaba can opt for payment in shares, cash, or a combination of both.

The conversion rate for the notes will be 5.1773 American depositary shares (ADSs) for every US$1,000 principal amount, equivalent to US$193.15 per ADS, or HK$188.08 per ordinary share, as converted and divided by eight, the ordinary-share-to-ADS ratio, Alibaba said in a separate statement after Hong Kong’s market hours.

Alibaba, which owns the South China Morning Post, planned to use the proceeds to boost its cloud business and international commerce operations, the filing said.

“Specifically, the allocation will include around 80 per cent directed towards enhancing its cloud infrastructure, which encompasses scaling up data centres, upgrading technology and improving services to meet growing demand,” Alibaba said.

_{Alibaba eyes US$3.2 billion boost for cloud and global e-commerce push}

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