Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi came under renewed pressure on Thursday after a report emerged that Beijing was considering harsh penalties ranging from a massive fine to a forced delisting after its IPO last month.
Didi’s shares fell more than 10%, bringing the month-to-date losses to 27%. Bloomberg News reported that Chinese regulators are planning a series of penalties against Didi, including a fine likely higher than the record $ 2.8 billion Alibaba paid earlier this year.
The penalties could also include the suspension of certain operations, delisting or withdrawal of Didi’s U.S. shares, the report said, citing people familiar with the matter. Didi did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
Didi stock has fallen about 25% since it debuted on June 30th when it traded at $ 14 per share.
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Last week, officials from seven Chinese government agencies visited the ridesharing giant’s offices to conduct a cybersecurity clearance. The ride-hailing giant no longer had to register new users and its app was also removed from Chinese app stores.
The Cyberspace Administration of China alleged that Didi illegally collected users’ data.
Beijing is stepping up its oversight of the flood of Chinese US stock exchanges, most of which are tech companies. The State Council recently said in a statement that the rules of the “overseas listing system for domestic businesses” will be updated while tightening restrictions on cross-border data flow and security.
– Click here to read the original Bloomberg News story.
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