Alibaba Group’s 2014 initial public offering raised about $25 billion, the largest IPO at the time.
Alibaba began trading on the New York Stock Exchange on September 19, 2014. The offering raised roughly $21.8 billion initially, and an overallotment option increased the total to about $25 billion, setting a record for the largest initial public offering at that time.
Alibaba is a Chinese technology group whose businesses have included online marketplaces, cloud computing, digital payments through affiliated businesses, and logistics. Its IPO gave international investors a major public-market route into China’s rapidly expanding internet economy.
The record was later surpassed by other offerings, including Saudi Aramco’s 2019 IPO. IPO proceeds are money raised by selling newly issued shares, while market capitalization measures the value of all publicly traded shares after listing.