Africas top mobile phone seller Transsion to list in Chinese IPO

Chinese mobile-phone and gadget maker Transsion will note in an IPO on Shanghai’s STAR Market , Transsion validated to TechCrunc h.

The business — which has a robust Africa sales network — might raise as much as 3 billion yuan (or $426 million).

“The business’s listing-related work is running efficiently. The registration application and issuance procedure is still in progress, with the particular schedule yet to be verified by the CSRC and Shanghai Stock Exchange,” a representative for Transsion’s Office of the Secretary to the Chairman informed TechCrunch by means of e-mail.

Transsion’s IPO prospectus is downloadable (in Chinese) and its STAR Market noting application offered on the Shanghai Stock Exchange’s site.

STAR is the Shanghai Stock Exchange’s brand-new Nasdaq-style board for tech stocks that likewise went reside in July with some 25 business going public.

Headquartered in Shenzhen — where African e-commerce unicorn Jumia likewise has a logistics supply-chain center — Transsion is a top-seller of mobile phones in Africa under its Tecno brand name.

The business has a production center in Ethiopia and just recently broadened its existence in India.

Transsion strategies to invest the bulk of its STAR Market raise (1.6 billion yuan or $227 million) on developing more phone assembly centers and around 430 million yuan ($62 million) on research study and advancement, consisting of a smart phone R&D center in Shanghai, a business representative stated.

Transsion just recently revealed a bigger dedication to recording market share in India, consisting of constructing a commercial park in the nation for manufacture of phones to Africa.

The IPO follows Transsion revealed its intent to go public and submitted its very first docs with the Shanghai Stock Exchange in April.

Listing on the STAR Market will put Transsion on the newly minted exchange viewed as an extension of Beijing’s aspiration to end up being a center for high-potential tech start-ups to raise public capital. Chinese regulators reduced success requirements for the exchange, which suggests pre-profit endeavors can note.

Transsion’ s IPO procedure comes when the business is in fact in the black. The company created 22.6 billion yuan ($3.29 billion) in income in 2018, up from 20 billion yuan a year previously. Net revenue for the year moved to 654 million yuan, below 677 million yuan in 2017, according to the company’ s prospectus.

Transsion offered 124 million phones internationally in 2018, per business information. In Africa, Transsion holds 54% of the function phone market — through its brand names Tecno, Infinix and Itel — and in mobile phone sales is 2nd to Samsung and prior to Huawei, according to International Data Corporation statistics .

Transsion has R&D centers in Nigeria and Kenya and its sales network in Africa consists of retail stores in Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia and Egypt. The business likewise brought in attention for being among the very first recognized gadget makers to enhance its electronic camera phones for African skin tones .

On a current research study journey to Addis Ababa, TechCrunch found out the leading entry-level Tecno mobile phone was the W3 , which notes for 3,600 Ethiopian Birr, or approximately $125.

In Africa, Transsion’s capability to construct market share and discover a sweet area with customers on rate and functions offers it prominence in the continent’s thriving tech scene.