Best Small Cap IPO House

Core Pacific-Yamaichi

Core Pacific-Yamaichi epitomizes a true Greater China approach to investment banking. Core Pacific is one of the leading integrated securities houses in Taiwan, and acquired the Yamaichi operation in Hong Kong in 1998 - later merging its Yuanta Securities Hong Kong subsidiary in 2000.

What emerged was an investment bank that straddled Taiwan and China, and has sought to bring to the Hong Kong market a host of new Chinese companies.

A classic example of this nexus at work, was its IPO this year for Natural Beauty. This company was set up by a Taiwanese entrepreneur in Shanghai as a cosmetics company with strong branding and later went on to obtain 1660 franchisees throughout mainland China. Core Pacific-Yamaichi launched its HK$270 million IPO at HK$0.55, and three weeks after listing the stock was up to HK$1.20.

Indeed, this year Core Pacific-Yamaichi can claim to have dominated the small cap arena in Hong Kong. Other deals it brought to market as global coordinator and sponsor included Wanyou Fire Safety Technology (HK$200 million), Tungda Lighting (HK$64 million), ZDLD (HK$81 million), Golding Soft (HK$70 million), Launch Tech Company (HK$80 million) and Vital Bio Tech Holdings ($135 million).

Apart from its presence in Hong Kong and Taiwan, the group operates offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and the US.

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