China’s President Xi Jinping personally decided to stop Ant Group’s $37-billion initial public offering, days after founder Jack Ma said that the country’s financial watchdogs must be reformed to fuel growth as they stifle innovation.
The IPO would have been the world's largest ever.
Ma made the scathing speech during a summit in Shanghai on Oct. 24, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Soon after, state regulators began compiling reports about Ant, including one on how it had supposedly encouraged poor and young people to build up debt through digital financial products like Huabei, a virtual credit card service.
The general office of the State Council then submitted a report on public sentiment about Ma’s speech to senior leaders, including Xi, that set off a chain of events.
Consequently, Xi ordered Chinese regulators to investigate leading to the shutting down of Ant's stock market flotation.


SK Hynix Q2 Profit Hits Record as AI Memory Chip Demand Fuels Growth
Zhongji Innolight Raises $6.8 Billion in Hong Kong IPO as AI Demand Fuels Growth
Brown-Forman Rejects Sazerac’s $15 Billion Takeover Bid as Family Backs Independence
Philips Shares Slide 10% Despite Earnings Beat as Weak Orders Raise Growth Concerns
Tech Stock Positioning Nears Neutral as Investor Rotation Enters Final Phase, Deutsche Bank Says
Standard Chartered Beats Profit Forecasts as First-Half Earnings Rise 9%
Exosens H1 Profit Beats Forecasts as Defense Demand Drives Growth
Barclays Q2 Profit Beats Forecasts as Investment Banking Strength Offsets Higher Costs
Zabka Shares Drop 10% as Seven & i Abandons Investment Plans
Johnson & Johnson Proposes $5.5 Billion Talc Settlement to Resolve U.S. Ovarian Cancer Lawsuits
CXMT IPO Debut in Shanghai Puts $85.5 Billion Chipmaker in Spotlight
Unilever Raises 2026 Sales Outlook After Strong Q2 Volume Growth
Serica Energy to Acquire Pharos Energy for £145.7M, Sending PHARP Shares Soaring
Rio Tinto Stock Jumps as Strong Earnings, Higher Dividend and AI Metal Demand Boost Outlook
X Challenges Australia’s Expanded Social Media Ban Enforcement Powers
TeamViewer Shares Fall Despite Profit Growth as ARR and Customer Base Decline 



