Somerley Capital Explained

Somerley Capital Limited
Native Name:	新百利融資有限公司
Type:	Public
Traded As:	HKEX:
Location Country:	Hong Kong
Industry:	Investment banking
Revenue:	(FY 2021)
Net Income:	(FY 2021)
Assets:	(FY 2021)
Num Employees:	48 (FY 2021)
Equity:	(FY 2021)
Founder:	Martin Nevil Sabine
Footnotes:	^[1]

Somerley Capital (Somerley) is a investment banking firm based in Hong Kong.^[2] The firm mainly provides corporate finance advisory services to clients. It also has acted as a sponsor to initial public offerings held in Hong Kong as well as managed and underwritten secondary equity issues.

History

Somerley Capital was founded in 1983 by Martin Sabine.^{[1] [3]} Sabine was previously a director in the corporate finance department of Wardley Limited, a subsidiary of HSBC.

Somerley Capital is considered one of Hong Kong's local firms that along with foreign banks used to rule the city's financial industry until the late 2010s where competition from China institutions caught up.^[4]

In March 2017, Somerley Capital held an initial public offering to list on the Growth Enterprise Market (GEM) board of Hong Kong Stock Exchange.^{[5] [6]} Its price range was HK$1.4 to HK$2.3 per share and aimed to raise HK$80.5 million.^[7]

Somerley Capital is known as an independent financial advisor which despite being smaller compared to larger investment banks, has still managed to be involved in multiple large high-profile deals related to Hong Kong and China.^{[8] [9] [10] [11]} According to Mergermarket League tables, Somerley Capital is usually ranked in the top 20 firms for Greater China deals by value with its 2021 rank being No. 10.^[12]

The firm is headquartered in Hong Kong with an additional office in Beijing.

Notable deals

• Advised Citybus on its acquisition by the Stagecoach Group in July 1999 for £276m.^{[13] [14] [15]}
• Advised Hutchison Telecommunications International to delist from the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in a HK$4.2 billion deal in May 2010.^{[16] [17]}
• Advised Alibaba Group to privatize its Alibaba.com unit from the Hong Kong Stock Exchange for US$2.5 billion in June 2012.^{[18] [19]}
• Advised Huiyuan Juice to purchase a fruit juice concentrates supplier from controlling shareholder China Hui Yuan Juice Holdings Co Ltd for US$631 million in October 2013.^[20]
• Advised Citic Pacific to purchase the assets from its parent, CITIC Group worth US$36 billion in May 2014.^{[21] [22]}
• Advised the Mongolian Mining Corporation on a US$195 million rights issue in November 2014.^[23]
• Advised Alibaba Pictures on acquiring Taobao Movie and Yulebao from its parent, Alibaba Group for US$520 million in November 2015.^[24]
• Acted as sponsor for the spin-off of Wharf Real Estate Investment Company from The Wharf in November 2017.^[25]
• Advised on the privatization of Chong Hing Bank from the Hong Kong Stock Exchange for HK$5.1 billion in September 2021.^{[26] [27]}
• Advised ESR Group on its acquisition of ARA Asset Management for US$5.2 billion in January 2022.^[28]

Notes and References

1. Web site: 2021 Annual Report .
2. Web site: 8439.HK - Somerley Capital Holdings Ltd . 25 September 2022 . Reuters.
3. Web site: Watch Martin Sabine Talk & Discussion Videos at Conferences ConferenceCast.tv . www.conferencecast.tv . en.
4. Web site: Wong . Kiuyan . 27 June 2022 . Chinese Firms Are Dominating Key Parts of Hong Kong's Economy . 25 September 2022 . www.bloomberg.com.
5. Web site: dev.login . 23 March 2017 . Deacons advises on GEM IPO of corporate finance firm Somerley Capital Holdings . 25 September 2022 . Deacons - Law Firm - Hong Kong . en-GB.
6. Web site: 29 April 2017 . 《新股情報》新百利融資(08439)今起招股 入場費4646.35元 - 華富財經Quamnet.com 港股 即時新聞 . 25 September 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170429083012/https://www.quamnet.com/newscontent.action?articleId=5111730 . 29 April 2017 .
7. Web site: 17 March 2017 . 【新股追蹤】新百利融資招股 4646元入場 - 信報網站 hkej.com . 25 September 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170317175438/http://www2.hkej.com/instantnews/stock/article/1513436/%E3%80%90%E6%96%B0%E8%82%A1%E8%BF%BD%E8%B9%A4%E3%80%91%E6%96%B0%E7%99%BE%E5%88%A9%E8%9E%8D%E8%B3%87%E6%8B%9B%E8%82%A1+4646%E5%85%83%E5%85%A5%E5%A0%B4 . 17 March 2017 .
8. Web site: 24 April 2012 . Backing for Alibaba.com buyout . 25 September 2022 . South China Morning Post . en.
9. Web site: 13 July 2013 . Missing payments raise questions over puree maker . 25 September 2022 . South China Morning Post . en.
10. Web site: 18 December 2015 . If faith is all you need, why hire independent financial advisers? . 25 September 2022 . South China Morning Post . en.
11. Web site: 7 November 2014 . Mongolian Mining gets backing for equity call . 25 September 2022 . South China Morning Post . en.
12. Web site: 12 May 2022 . Global & Regional League Tables 2021 . 25 September 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220512084505/http://www.mergermarket.com/pdf/MergermarketFinancialLeagueTableReport.Q42021.pdf . 12 May 2022 .
13. Web site: Tsang . Denise . 25 February 1999 . Stagecoach offer upsets Citybus minority holders . 25 September 2022 . South China Morning Post . en.
14. Web site: Tsang . Denise . 19 March 1999 . Stagecoach chief defends offer for Citybus Group as reasonable . 25 September 2022 . South China Morning Post . en.
15. Web site: 19 January 1999 . Stagecoach buys Hong Kong bus operator in pounds 276m deal . 25 September 2022 . The Independent . en.
16. Web site: 16 March 2010 . Hutchison Telecom close to privatising . 25 September 2022 . South China Morning Post . en.
17. News: 8 January 2010 . Hutchison Telecom to go private for HK$4.2 billion . en . Reuters . 25 September 2022.
18. Web site: Lee . Mark . 22 February 2012 . Alibaba Group Offers $2.5 Billion to Buy Out Listed Unit . 25 September 2022 . www.bloomberg.com.
19. Web site: 20 June 2012 . Alibaba opens doors to new path with delisting . 25 September 2022 . South China Morning Post . en.
20. News: 24 May 2013 . China Huiyuan Juice says to buy $631 mln asset from parent . en . Reuters . 25 September 2022.
21. Web site: 15 May 2014 . Citic Pacific unveils star backing for landmark deal . 25 September 2022 . South China Morning Post . en.
22. Web site: Fellman . Joshua . 26 August 2014 . Citic Pacific Completes $37 Billion Purchase of Parent's Assets . 25 September 2022 . www.bloomberg.com.
23. Web site: Paul Hastings Represents Underwriters in Mongolian Mining Corporation's Rights Issue Paul Hastings LLP . 25 September 2022 . www.paulhastings.com . en-US.
24. Web site: Frater . Patrick . 4 November 2015 . Alibaba Pictures Buys Taobao Movie and Yulebao From Parent . 25 September 2022 . Variety . en-US.
25. Web site: dev.login . 16 November 2017 . Deacons advises on the spin-off and Main Board listing of Wharf Real Estate Investment Company Limited . 25 September 2022 . Deacons - Law Firm - Hong Kong . en-GB.
26. Web site: 13 August 2021 . HKEX Announcement .
27. Web site: Standard . The . Chong Hing Bank to go private . 25 September 2022 . The Standard . en.
28. Web site: TAN . CLAUDIA . 18 October 2021 . Independent financial adviser in favour of ESR's proposed acquisition of ARA . 25 September 2022 . www.businesstimes.com.sg.