Chinese autonomous driving firm WeRide taps banks for Hong Kong listing, sources say

By Yantoultra Ngui and Kane Wu SINGAPORE/HONG KONG (Reuters) -Chinese autonomous driving firm WeRide has hired Morgan Stanley and China International Capital Corp (CICC) to work on a secondary listing in Hong Kong, three sources with knowledge of the matter said. The Guangzhou-based company, which listed on Nasdaq in October 2024, is seeking regulatory approval in both Beijing and Hong Kong for the share sale after filing confidentially with the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, the sources said. Details of the offering, including its size, have not been finalised, said two of the sources. The Nasdaq-listed company has a market value of about $3 billion as of Monday's market close. "WeRide is unable to comment on queries regarding a potential listing," the company said in an emailed statement to Reuters on Tuesday. "We remain focused on executing our business strategy and delivering value to our stakeholders." Morgan Stanley declined to comment. CICC did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The sources did not wish to be identified as the matter was private. Some U.S.-listed Chinese companies are seeking to raise capital via secondary listings in Hong Kong. Such moves have been driven partly by concern over potential forced delistings of Chinese companies from U.S. exchanges since trade relations between the world's two largest economies deteriorated sharply this year. Confidential filings allow firms to navigate the regulatory review process without public disclosure, offering flexibility when listing timelines are uncertain. Founded in 2017, WeRide develops autonomous driving technology and operates robotaxi services in China and internationally, according to its official website and announcements. WeRide shares have fallen about 24% so far this year to trade at $10.76 apiece. It reported total revenue of 127.2 million yuan ($17.8 million) in the second quarter, up 60.8% from a year earlier, while its net loss narrowed slightly to 406.4 million yuan from 413.6 million over the same period, according to its latest earnings release in July. The company has partnerships with ride-hailing firms Grab and Uber. Grab announced in August that it had committed a strategic equity investment in WeRide and would work with the company to deploy robotaxis and autonomous shuttles in Southeast Asia. Grab and WeRide are preparing to launch an autonomous vehicle service in Singapore's Punggol district in 2026. Uber and WeRide have partnered to bring autonomous vehicles to the Uber platform. Grab said it is not in a position to comment on WeRide's listing plans. Uber did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday. ($1 = 7.7771 Hong Kong dollars) ($1 = 7.1363 Chinese yuan renminbi) (Reporting by Yantoultra Ngui in Singapore and Kane Wu in Hong Kong; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)

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