Alibaba to lose US$1.3 billion on Intime sale in retreat from offline retail

Alibaba to lose US.3 billion on Intime sale in retreat from offline retail

Alibaba Group Holding is taking a 9.3 billion yuan (US$1.3 billion) loss in its sale of Intime, one of China’s leading department store operators, as the e-commerce giant walks away from offline retailing to focus on its core businesses. The company is selling its entire stake in the retail chain, in which it first invested … Read more

Chinese fintech giant Ant denies imminent restart of IPO process

Chinese fintech giant Ant denies imminent restart of IPO process

Ant Group, the fintech affiliate of Alibaba Group Holding, said it had no immediate plans to revive its initial public offering (IPO), dispelling market speculation it would soon go public. The Chinese company shocked investors in November 2020 by cancelling its US$39.7 billion IPO in Hong Kong and Shanghai less than 48 hours before market … Read more

Ant Group splits Alipay into two business units in latest restructuring move

Ant Group splits Alipay into two business units in latest restructuring move

Ant Group, the fintech giant affiliated with Alibaba Group Holding, is splitting the business group of its mobile payment platform Alipay into two units, in its latest corporate restructuring move to drive new growth. The company will establish the Digital Payment Business Group and Alipay Business Group, and adopt a “rotating presidential system” for the … Read more

Jack Ma makes rare speech at Ant Group’s 20th anniversary, predicts AI-driven future

Jack Ma makes rare speech at Ant Group’s 20th anniversary, predicts AI-driven future

Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba Group Holding, gave a rare public speech at the 20th anniversary of the company’s fintech affiliate Ant Group, saying he had faith in the “next 20 years of Ant” and expects “more miracles”, according to Chinese media reports and people who were there. Ma’s attendance at the evening event … Read more

Jack Ma returns to Alibaba campus, as China moves to boost business confidence

Jack Ma returns to Alibaba campus, as China moves to boost business confidence

Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba Group Holding, on Friday visited the company’s campus in Hangzhou, capital of eastern Zhejiang province, in a show of support for the e-commerce empire he created a quarter of a century ago, according to employees. Ma’s visit was his first known trip back to to his hometown since March 2023, … Read more

Alibaba bets on retailing chief Jiang Fan to bolster e-commerce momentum

Alibaba bets on retailing chief Jiang Fan to bolster e-commerce momentum

Jiang, 39, who has been serving as chief executive of Alibaba International Digital Commerce Group (AIDC), was appointed by the Hangzhou-based tech conglomerate on Thursday to lead the newly formed Alibaba E-commerce Business Group. The new unit will integrate Taobao and Tmall Group (TTG), AIDC, 1688 Marketplace, Idle Fish and the other e-commerce operations of … Read more

Bordeaux winery investments turn sour for Chinese investors

Bordeaux winery investments turn sour for Chinese investors

After over a decade of snapping up Bordeaux wine estates, buying into a dream of elegant living in France and good earnings in their home market, many Chinese investors are now selling up. Capital controls back home, softening Asian demand for wine and underestimates of the costs of running French estates have combined to push … Read more

British Man Laid Off From Chinese Tech Company After Two Years Of Brutal ‘996’ Work Culture Endorsed By Jack Ma

British Man Laid Off From Chinese Tech Company After Two Years Of Brutal ‘996’ Work Culture Endorsed By Jack Ma

A 28-year-old British expat from Manchester, Jack Forsdike, recently opened up about his two-year stint in China’s 996 tech culture. He admitted to feeling “relieved” after being laid off. Interestingly, Chinese business magnate Jack Ma recently endorsed this controversial work culture. Initially, Forsdike was actually excited about the prospect of working under China’s infamous 996 … Read more

Alibaba looks on course for a turnaround amid renewed investor frenzy for Chinese stocks

Alibaba looks on course for a turnaround amid renewed investor frenzy for Chinese stocks

“Alibaba may gradually become more attractive to some long-only funds because it is, after all, the largest e-commerce stock in China,” said Shawn Yang, senior analyst at Arete Research. “The expectations of macro improvement may be passed on to these consumer stocks. Alibaba is the largest among them, and its situation is improving.” Alibaba, owner … Read more

Bill Gates-backed startup on the global gold rush for buried hydrogen

Bill Gates-backed startup on the global gold rush for buried hydrogen

The team from the Geological Agency of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) took samples of natural hydrogen gas found in One Pute Jaya Village, Morowali Regency, Central Sulawesi Province, Indonesia, 23 October 2023. Nurphoto | Nurphoto | Getty Images Koloma, a U.S.-based clean fuel startup backed by Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos, says it … Read more