Ant Group's Acquisition of Yao Cai Securities Approved

Source: Securities Times Network Author: Wang Rui, Li Yingchao

Ant Group’s acquisition of Yau Tai Securities makes new progress!

Yau Tai Securities announced on the evening of the 16th that the tender offer initiated by Ant Group has been approved by relevant authorities, and the transaction is expected to be completed by March 30.

Yau Tai Securities stated that as part of the acquisition by Ant Group, all conditions for the transaction have been met. The announcement mentioned that the company’s stock was briefly suspended on the 16th and will resume trading starting from the market open on the 17th.

Notably, last Friday (March 13), Yau Tai Securities Financial (01428.HK) surged significantly, with Hong Kong stocks rising over 40% intraday, reaching a high of HKD 9.95, the highest in over four months.

On April 25, 2025, Ant Group’s wholly owned subsidiary Shanghai Yunjin Information Technology Co., Ltd. announced that it would acquire 50.55% of shares held by Yau Tai Securities founder Ye Maolin at HKD 3.28 per share, totaling approximately HKD 2.814 billion. This move aims to obtain a Hong Kong securities license and accelerate international expansion.

On October 10, 2025, the acquisition was approved by the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission, allowing Ant to become a shareholder of several regulated subsidiaries under Yau Tai.

On the evening of November 25, 2025, Yau Tai Securities Financial announced that, considering the reporting procedures with relevant authorities and the holiday in the first quarter of 2026, more time is needed to complete the filing with the National Development and Reform Commission. Therefore, the offeror and the seller revised several terms of the share purchase agreement on that day, including extending the final deadline to March 25, 2026, and increasing the deposit from HKD 140 million to HKD 164 million.

Yau Tai Securities is a leading local brokerage firm in Hong Kong, founded in 1995. Its current business scope includes Hong Kong stock trading, margin financing, securities custody and agency services, futures and options trading, leveraged foreign exchange trading, and spot gold and silver trading. Yau Tai holds licenses No. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, and 9 issued by the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission, covering securities, futures, forex, and asset management businesses. As of September 30, 2024, the company’s chairman Ye Maolin and his controlled company, Xin Changming Holdings Limited, jointly held 51.14% of Yau Tai Securities.

Industry experts generally believe that Ant Group expects to supplement its financial licenses and capabilities in Hong Kong through this acquisition, further building a comprehensive financial ecosystem of “securities company + digital payments + virtual assets.”

Donghai Securities Research Institute noted that Ant Group’s wealth management platform connects over 150 asset management institutions and a rich array of financial products, which can complement Yau Tai Securities’ stock trading, asset management, and derivatives businesses. Coupled with Ant Group’s user base of over a billion, this is expected to further increase market share and gradually develop a wealth management ecosystem with deep customer resource mining and a diversified product matrix.

(Edited by: Wen Jing)

Keywords: Ant Group Yau Tai Securities