Alibaba-SW (HKEX: 9988) and Tencent (HKEX: 700): Strategic Collaboration Through WeChat Pay Integration

Recommendation: BUY

• Target Price for Alibaba: HKD 105.07
• Target Price for Tencent: HKD 476.93
• Date of Recommendation: September 9, 2024
• Broker Company: MIB Securities (Hong Kong) Ltd

Investment Thesis:

Alibaba recently announced its plan to integrate Tencent’s WeChat Pay as a payment option across Taobao and Tmall platforms. This collaboration is a significant milestone in the ecosystems of both companies, aiming to improve consumer convenience and expand payment options. For Alibaba, it represents an opportunity to tap into new user bases, particularly in lower-tier cities. For Tencent, this partnership enhances its market insights for its advertising business by providing more consumption data.

This integration is expected to create a win-win situation for both companies. It allows Alibaba to increase its user engagement while giving Tencent access to valuable transaction data, further strengthening its advertising and payment processing capabilities.

Financial Performance:

The addition of WeChat Pay is expected to drive increased transactions on Alibaba’s platforms, enhancing revenue generation from online retail. Meanwhile, Tencent stands to benefit from the increase in data flow, supporting its core advertising and fintech segments.

Valuation and Catalysts:

The target prices of HKD 105.07 for Alibaba and HKD 476.93 for Tencent reflect the strategic value of the collaboration and its long-term potential. This partnership could be a key growth driver for both companies as they leverage each other’s strengths to capture more market share.

Thank you