PPdai, a China-based peer-to-peer lending service backed by conglomerate Legend Holdings, filed for a $350m initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange on Friday.
Founded in 2007 as Shanghai Paipaidai Financial Information Service, PPdai operates an online peer-to-peer lending platform that is primarily aimed at users in the 20-to-40 age range. It had served more than 48 million customers by the end of June 2017.
The company raised almost $100m in a 2015 series C round co-led by Legend Capital, the venture capital firm formed by Legend Holdings, and SIG Asia, a subsidiary of trading and technology firm Susquehanna International Group.
VMS Legend Investment Fund I, Sequoia Capital and Lightspeed China Partners also took part in the series C round. Sequoia invested $25m in PPdai in 2012 before returning for a series B round of undisclosed size in 2014 that was led by Lightspeed and backed by Noah Private Wealth Management.
Sequoia is PPdai’s largest external shareholder, with a 25.5% stake, followed by Lightspeed which owns 10.4%. Legend Capital holds a 6.8% stake through an indirectly-owned subsidiary, Oceanic Team, while SIG Asia owns 6.5% through its SIG China Investments Master Fund III vehicle.
The company’s other notable investors include investment vehicles for private investor Wei Luo (6.2%), who backed PPDai at angel stage, PPdai co-founder and chief executive Jun Zhang (5.5%) and PPDai co-founder Honghui Hu (5.4%).
Credit Suisse Securities (USA), Citigroup Global Markets and Keefe, Bruyette & Woods have been appointed underwriters for the offering. The company has not yet priced its shares, which will be issued in the form of American Depositary Shares.