GEORGE TOWN: The Securities Commission (SC) is identifying large unlisted Malaysian companies and encouraging them to consider dual listings in Malaysia and Hong Kong to broaden their access to international investors.
SC chairman Datuk Mohammad Faiz Azmi said the initiative forms part of the bourse’s efforts to create more regional opportunities for Malaysian companies, particularly those seeking exposure to a wider pool of investors.
He said cooperation between Malaysia and Hong Kong allows a prospectus for an initial public offering (IPO) issued and reviewed in Malaysia to be recognised in Hong Kong without the need for a separate prospectus.
“We are looking at large non-listed companies in Malaysia and trying to target them by saying, ‘Wouldn’t it be interesting if your IPO was also in Hong Kong at the same time?’
“So, if some of you are thinking about doing an IPO, you should be asking your advisers whether it is tactical to also have some of those shares listed in Hong Kong at the same time,” said Mohammad Faiz in his speech yesterday at the SC Penang Semicon Roadshow, titled Powering SemiCons: Financing Your Next Breakthrough.
He noted that Hong Kong’s recognition of a Malaysian-reviewed prospectus also reflected confidence in the country’s capital market regulatory framework.
Mohammad Faiz explained that the arrangement could reduce complexity and costs for companies, compared with having to prepare separate prospectuses for the two markets.
The initiative, he said, was also aligned with the Capital Market Masterplan’s focus on pursuing regional opportunities and helping Malaysian companies gain greater access to global investors.
In addition, he said Malaysian semiconductor companies should consider the capital market as a source of financing to support growth, particularly for investments in research and development, talent, equipment and technological capabilities.
He said traditional bank financing had its limitations, especially for companies requiring longer-term capital or funding for breakthrough innovation and projects with longer gestation periods.
Companies could tap various financing avenues depending on their stage of growth, including equity crowdfunding, peer-to-peer financing, venture capital, the equity market and corporate bonds, said Mohammad Faiz. — Bernama
