Silver Point

Thomas J. Monaco

Silver Point is a boutique research firm that focuses on the broader financial services sector, with a particular focus on troubled institutions globally. 

Asia Ex Japan

Equity Bottom-Up

*Magic Fairy Dust: Square (SQ.US) has agreed to purchase Afterpay Touch (APT.AU) [Afterpay) for USD 29 bn in an all-stock transaction – implying Afterpay’s shares to be worth AUD 126.21. This is not a bad outcome for Afterpay, which only posts consistent losses. Tencent Holdings (700.HK) [Tencent] stands to gain 462% on its initial stake for a gain of over USD 800 mn – not bad for a passive deal 15 months ago;  and
Risks Remain: In addition to Tencent is suspending new user registrations for its WeChat services, as it is undergoing a “security technical upgrade” in accordance with relevant laws and regulations, there are multiple other challenges. We have no doubt that Tencent will also follow Alibaba Group (BABA.US) [Alibaba] in their formation of a financial holding company. For Tencent, WeChat Pay and the broader lending/deposit taking business are likely to be reined-in. An FHC represents significant downside risks. Earnings will compress, as capital requirements increase.

*Magic Fairy Dust: Square (SQ.US) has agreed to purchase Afterpay Touch (APT.AU) [Afterpay) for USD 29 bn in an all-stock transaction – implying Afterpay’s shares to be worth AUD 126.21. This is not a bad outcome for Afterpay, which only posts consistent losses. Tencent Holdings (700.HK) [Tencent] stands to gain 462% on its initial stake for a gain of over USD 800 mn – not bad for a passive deal 15 months ago;  and
Risks Remain: In addition to Tencent is suspending new user registrations for its WeChat services, as it is undergoing a “security technical upgrade” in accordance with relevant laws and regulations, there are multiple other challenges. We have no doubt that Tencent will also follow Alibaba Group (BABA.US) [Alibaba] in their formation of a financial holding company. For Tencent, WeChat Pay and the broader lending/deposit taking business are likely to be reined-in. An FHC represents significant downside risks. Earnings will compress, as capital requirements increase.

Tencent Holdings – Clairvoyance Pays Off

Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events, Quiddity Advisors

David Blennerhassett

Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events

Quiddity Advisors

Event-Driven

<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/square-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:23755:1" rel="noopener">Square Inc (SQ US)</a> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/afterpay-limited" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:26940:1" rel="noopener">Afterpay (APT AU)</a> have <a href="https://cdn-api.markitdigital.com/apiman-gateway/ASX/asx-research/1.0/file/2924-02402191-3A571915?access_token=83ff96335c2d45a094df02a206a39ff4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> a firm merger, the completion of which will create Australia's largest-ever buyout, exceeding <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/unibail-rodamco-se" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:21140:1" rel="noopener">Unibail-Rodamco SE (UL NA)</a>'s 2017 takeover of <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/westfield-corp" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:896:1" rel="noopener">Westfield Corp (WFD AU)</a> - discussed <a href="https://skr.ma/8TPFU" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.
Under the terms of the Offer, by way of Scheme, Afterpay shareholders will receive a fixed exchange ratio of 0.375 shares of Square Class A common stock for each Afterpay ordinary share.
Based on Square’s closing price of US$247.26 on July 30, 2021, this represents an implied transaction price of ~A$126.21 per Afterpay share, or a premium of ~30.6%.
Following completion of the transaction, Afterpay shareholders are expected to own ~18.5% of the merged entity on a fully diluted basis.
Square may elect to pay 1% of total consideration in cash.
Square has agreed to establish a secondary listing on the ASX to allow Afterpay shareholders to trade Square shares via CHESS.
The merger is tentatively expected to complete in the 1Q22. The Scheme has the unanimous backing of both Boards. 
More below the fold.

Square Inc (SQ US) and Afterpay (APT AU) have announced a firm merger, the completion of which will create Australia's largest-ever buyout, exceeding Unibail-Rodamco SE (UL NA)'s 2017 takeover of Westfield Corp (WFD AU) - discussed here.
Under the terms of the Offer, by way of Scheme, Afterpay shareholders will receive a fixed exchange ratio of 0.375 shares of Square Class A common stock for each Afterpay ordinary share.
Based on Square’s closing price of US$247.26 on July 30, 2021, this represents an implied transaction price of ~A$126.21 per Afterpay share, or a premium of ~30.6%.
Following completion of the transaction, Afterpay shareholders are expected to own ~18.5% of the merged entity on a fully diluted basis.
Square may elect to pay 1% of total consideration in cash.
Square has agreed to establish a secondary listing on the ASX to allow Afterpay shareholders to trade Square shares via CHESS.
The merger is tentatively expected to complete in the 1Q22. The Scheme has the unanimous backing of both Boards. 
More below the fold.

Pan-Asia Index Rebalances/ Events/ Delta One, Periscope Analytics

Brian Freitas

Pan-Asia Index Rebalances/ Events/ Delta One

The <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/afterpay-limited" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:26940:1" rel="noopener">Afterpay Touch (APT AU)</a> stock has taken a beating recently following a lot of negative press about the Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) industry. This included a Rebel Wilson ad pulled from Australian TV after complaints from consumer protection groups for playing down the risks of taking on debt. Here in New Zealand, there have been calls for greater regulation of BNPL with families struggling to afford basics while paying off the BNPL loans.Now, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/square-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:23755:1" rel="noopener">Square Inc (SQ US)</a> has announced that it plans to acquire <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/afterpay-limited" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:26940:1" rel="noopener">Afterpay Touch (APT AU)</a> in an all-stock deal that values Afterpay at a 30% premium to its last close. <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/afterpay-limited" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:26940:1" rel="noopener">Afterpay Touch (APT AU)</a> shareholders will receive 0.375 shares of <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/square-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:23755:1" rel="noopener">Square Inc (SQ US)</a> Class A common stock for each Afterpay share they hold on the record date. <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/square-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:23755:1" rel="noopener">Square Inc (SQ US)</a> may elect to pay 1% of total consideration in cash. The transaction values <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/afterpay-limited" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:26940:1" rel="noopener">Afterpay Touch (APT AU)</a> at A$39bn.The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2022 subject to shareholder approval, receipt of regulatory approvals and no material adverse effect in relation to <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/afterpay-limited" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:26940:1" rel="noopener">Afterpay Touch (APT AU)</a> or <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/square-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:23755:1" rel="noopener">Square Inc (SQ US)</a>.<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/square-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:23755:1" rel="noopener">Square Inc (SQ US)</a> intends to establish a secondary listing on the ASX to allow <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/afterpay-limited" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:26940:1" rel="noopener">Afterpay Touch (APT AU)</a> shareholders to trade <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/square-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:23755:1" rel="noopener">Square Inc (SQ US)</a> shares via CHESS Depositary Interests (CDIs) on the ASX. We expect the Square CDIs to be included in the <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/s-p-asx-200" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:22901:1" rel="noopener">S&amp;P/ASX 200 (AS51 INDEX)</a> replacing <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/afterpay-limited" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:26940:1" rel="noopener">Afterpay Touch (APT AU)</a>, though the free float on the CDIs will be lower.

The Afterpay Touch (APT AU) stock has taken a beating recently following a lot of negative press about the Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) industry. This included a Rebel Wilson ad pulled from Australian TV after complaints from consumer protection groups for playing down the risks of taking on debt. Here in New Zealand, there have been calls for greater regulation of BNPL with families struggling to afford basics while paying off the BNPL loans.Now, Square Inc (SQ US) has announced that it plans to acquire Afterpay Touch (APT AU) in an all-stock deal that values Afterpay at a 30% premium to its last close. Afterpay Touch (APT AU) shareholders will receive 0.375 shares of Square Inc (SQ US) Class A common stock for each Afterpay share they hold on the record date. Square Inc (SQ US) may elect to pay 1% of total consideration in cash. The transaction values Afterpay Touch (APT AU) at A$39bn.The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2022 subject to shareholder approval, receipt of regulatory approvals and no material adverse effect in relation to Afterpay Touch (APT AU) or Square Inc (SQ US).Square Inc (SQ US) intends to establish a secondary listing on the ASX to allow Afterpay Touch (APT AU) shareholders to trade Square Inc (SQ US) shares via CHESS Depositary Interests (CDIs) on the ASX. We expect the Square CDIs to be included in the S&amp;P/ASX 200 (AS51 INDEX) replacing Afterpay Touch (APT AU), though the free float on the CDIs will be lower. 

Afterpay (APT AU) - Square Is Buying Now in an All Stock Deal

Head of Research, IPOs & Placements, Aequitas Research

Sumeet Singh

Head of Research, IPOs & Placements

IPOs and Placements coverage across Asia Pacific

Aequitas Research

We cover all listing across the Asia Pacific along with follow-up placements. As of Dec 2020, our team had covered 539 IPOs with a hit rate of 73.5% and 685 placements with a hit rate of 66.8%.

We combine fundamental bottom-up views with our proprietary quantitative framework to provide a holistic coverage across new listings and placements. Our coverage includes pre-IPO notes before the deal is launched, follow-up analysis once the deal is live and post-listing trading analysis as well.

Equity Capital Markets

<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/paytm-mobile-solutions-pvt-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:26149:1" rel="noopener">Paytm (PAYTM IN)</a> plans to raise around US$2.2bn via a mix of selling primary and secondary shares in its India IPO. The company is backed by <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/ant-group-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:24240:1" rel="noopener">Ant Financial Services Group (6688 HK)</a> (<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/alibaba-group-holding-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:787:1" rel="noopener">Alibaba Group (BABA US)</a>), <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/softbank-group-corp" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:315:1" rel="noopener">Softbank Group (9984 JP)</a> and counts <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/berkshire-hathaway-inc-cl-a" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:1044:1" rel="noopener">Berkshire Hathaway Inc Cl A (BRK/A US)</a> among its investors.Paytm offers payment services, commerce and cloud services, and financial services to 333m consumers and over 21m merchants, as of Mar 21. It offers consumers a wide selection of payment options on the Paytm app. It also offers merchants solutions that allow them to accept payments, acquire and retain consumers, improve their business operations and access financial services.The company clocked payment gross merchant value (GMV) of INR4tn (US$50bn) in FY21 for 114m transacting users during the year. Its users undertook a total of 7.4bn transactions in 2020. Along with its payment infrastructure, PayTM also runs a payment bank, in which it owns a 49% stake. The payment bank had a deposit base of INR52bn across 64m payment bank accounts.In this note we will talk about the positive aspects of the deal.

Paytm (PAYTM IN) plans to raise around US$2.2bn via a mix of selling primary and secondary shares in its India IPO. The company is backed by Ant Financial Services Group (6688 HK) (Alibaba Group (BABA US)), Softbank Group (9984 JP) and counts Berkshire Hathaway Inc Cl A (BRK/A US) among its investors.Paytm offers payment services, commerce and cloud services, and financial services to 333m consumers and over 21m merchants, as of Mar 21. It offers consumers a wide selection of payment options on the Paytm app. It also offers merchants solutions that allow them to accept payments, acquire and retain consumers, improve their business operations and access financial services.The company clocked payment gross merchant value (GMV) of INR4tn (US$50bn) in FY21 for 114m transacting users during the year. Its users undertook a total of 7.4bn transactions in 2020. Along with its payment infrastructure, PayTM also runs a payment bank, in which it owns a 49% stake. The payment bank had a deposit base of INR52bn across 64m payment bank accounts.In this note we will talk about the positive aspects of the deal.

Paytm (One 97) Pre-IPO - The Positives - Will Be One of India’s Largest IPOs

Latest News from the World’s Leading Innovators

Granite Bay Capital

An innovation focussed investment company

Granite Bay Capital is an innovation focussed investment company with a deep focus on the companies at the leading edge of innovation across major themes such as AI, ubiquitous computing, sustainability, automation and longevity.

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

Headline Developments Apple (AAPL) and Goldman Sachs (GS) are reportedly partnering to launch a buy now, pay later (BNPL) service through Apple Pay, according to Bloomberg .  The service will reportedly allow users to spread payments of their purchases across four interest-free payments every two weeks, or across several months with interest.

Headline Developments Apple (AAPL) and Goldman Sachs (GS) are reportedly partnering to launch a buy now, pay later (BNPL) service through Apple Pay, according to Bloomberg .  The service will reportedly allow users to spread payments of their purchases across four interest-free payments every two weeks, or across several months with interest.

Australia

Afterpay Limited provides financial solutions. The Company offers payment platform that allow users to maintain financial wellness and control, by splitting payments in four, for both online and in-store purchases. Afterpay serves customers globally.

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Afterpay (APT AU)

Tencent Holdings – Clairvoyance Pays Off

TENCENT HOLDINGS: Square has agreed to purchase Afterpay for USD 29 bn, and Tencent stands to gain 462% or over USD 800 mn. While positive,...

Thomas J. Monaco

Afterpay Ltd (APT AU): All Squared Away

I think it is highly illustrative the co-founders are happy to kick out at price ~22% below the recent high of A$160/share, potentially suggesting...

David Blennerhassett

Afterpay (APT AU) - Square Is Buying Now in an All Stock Deal

Square is looking to acquire Afterpay in an all stock deal that values Afterpay at A$39bn, a 30% premium to its last close. The premium is the...

Brian Freitas

Paytm (One 97) Pre-IPO - The Positives - Will Be One of India’s Largest IPOs

Paytm plans to raise around US$2.2bn in its India IPO. The company is backed by Ant Fin, Softbank (9984 JP) and counts Berkshire Hathaway among its...

Sumeet Singh

Weekly Innovation Review (WIRE) #40

Headline Developments Apple (AAPL) and Goldman Sachs (GS) are reportedly partnering to launch a buy now, pay later (BNPL) service through Apple

Granite Bay Capital

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