Investing.com — Anthropic’s $1.4 trillion IPO is drawing a geopolitical line, with institutional investors in mainland China and Hong Kong reportedly excluded from the offering as Washington tightens its focus on strategic AI technologies.
Several banks handling the deal have refused to accept orders from investors in the two markets, citing potential restrictions under US International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter. The restrictions have not been explicitly detailed in Anthropic’s IPO prospectus.
Some investors are exploring offshore structures to gain access. A family office linked to a Chinese technology founder is reportedly attempting to place an order through a British Virgin Islands trust, while others are considering special-purpose vehicles and swap arrangements.
The situation mirrors SpaceX’s recent IPO, when Chinese and Hong Kong investors were similarly excluded from the initial offering but could purchase shares after trading began.
The restrictions come as demand for Anthropic shares remains intense, with orders reportedly running at six times the available supply. The company and existing shareholders are seeking to raise as much as $90.4 billion through the IPO and a concurrent private placement.
Anthropic is scheduled to price its shares on November 18 and begin trading on Nasdaq the following day under the ticker ANT. The company is also fighting a legal battle with the Pentagon over its designation as a supply-chain risk, adding another layer of national security sensitivity to its public debut.
While the reported restrictions apply to IPO allocations rather than necessarily prohibiting future share purchases, they underscore how US-China competition is increasingly shaping the financial as well as technological boundaries of the AI industry.
Original Article
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