SK Hynix advisors win big fee windfall after modest SpaceX payday


A semiconductor wafer is displayed at a SK Hynix booth before a public briefing on the development vision for the advanced industry in South Korea's southwestern region, in Gwangju, South Korea, June 30, 2026. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

July 10 (Reuters) - ⁠Global investment banks and brokerages leading SK Hynix's ⁠mega share sale earned nearly $260 million in fees, ‌a boost for the industry which took in a relatively modest $500 million from SpaceX's record share sale last month.

The fees equate to about 0.97% ​of the total amount raised, SK ⁠Hynix's filings showed, meaning ⁠bankers earned more as a percentage of deal size than ⁠those ‌who worked on SpaceX's initial public offering.

SpaceX bankers earned 0.67% or $500 million of the $75 billion in ⁠an IPO which eclipsed the previous record set ​by Saudi Aramco ‌in 2019, as well as SK Hynix's U.S. listing ⁠this week.

Citigroup ​earned over $70 million from the SK Hynix sale, which was 20% more than other banks on the deal, said a ⁠person with direct knowledge of the matter, ​who declined to be identified when discussing confidential information.

Citigroup was a joint global co-ordinator and the depository bank on the ⁠deal. The bank declined to comment on fees earned.

Bank of America, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan were also global co-ordinators.

JPMorgan declined to comment. Bank of America and Goldman Sachs did ​not respond to requests for comment.

South ⁠Korean chipmaker SK Hynix raised about $26.5 billion after pricing its ​U.S. stock at $149 per depository receipt, ‌a 2.7% premium over its ​average share price in Seoul over the past three days.

(Reporting by Scott Murdoch; Editing by Christopher Cushing)

Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!

Others Also Read