KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 6 ― Malaysia may see a renewed interest in the special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) listing moving forward, according to Deloitte Malaysia.
In a statement today, its IPO leader Wong Kar Choon said one key reason is that SPACs is seen as a faster alternative in raising capital than the traditional initial public offerings (IPOs).
“There is no denying that certain businesses flourished and have been doing well in this trying time. To seize the opportunities, technology-based start-up companies are also seeking a different type of fundraising.
“Over the last couple of months, we have heard an increasing buzz on SPAC. There were also announcements made on a number of Southeast Asian (SEA) technology-based start-ups seeking a SPAC merger in the capital market in the United States (US),” he said.
Wong said based on data from Spacktrack.net, the current SPAC trust funds available in the US that is still searching for a viable business merger is about US$114 billion (RM476.6 billion).
Last month, the Securities Commission Malaysia said it was still in the midst of reviewing its framework for SPAC listings amid developments in other markets.
On the capital markets in Malaysia and SEA, Wong said they have received continued support from retail investors.
Although the average trading volumes have decreased from a high peak in 2020, it is hoped that the average trading volume would pick up towards the tail end of 2021 as vaccination rate increases for most countries and businesses open, he said.
In the first six months of 2021, Wong said, Malaysia recorded 14 listings, of which two were on the Main Market, seven on the ACE Market, and five on the LEAP Market.
They raised about RM395 million with a market capitalisation of RM1.5 billion, he added. ― Bernama
