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China Considers Requiring Ant to Sell Finance Investments, Source Says

  • Ant Group could be pushed to divest some finance-linked stakes
  • Holding firm’s minority stakes now can’t exceed 15% of assets
The Ant Group Co. headquarters in Hangzhou.

The Ant Group Co. headquarters in Hangzhou.

Photographer: Qilai Shen/Bloomberg

Chinese regulators are studying plans to force Ant Group Co. to divest equity investments in some financial companies, curbing the company’s influence over the sector, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The plans, which would involve pushing Ant to sell some of its minority shares in operations such as banking-related businesses, are part of a push by watchdog agencies to regulate so-called financial holding companies, the person said, requesting not to be named because the matter is private. An Ant spokesperson declined to comment on Thursday.