115 New KOSDAQ Listings This Year... IPO Amount 3.6 Trillion Won "Record High"

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Seon-ae] The number of newly listed companies on the KOSDAQ this year has reached an all-time high since 2002. It was found that the largest number of technology growth companies have been listed since the introduction of the technology special listing system. The public offering amount recorded a record high of 3.6 trillion won.

According to the "2021 KOSDAQ Market New Listing Status and Key Features" announced by the Korea Exchange on the 27th, the number of newly listed companies on the KOSDAQ market as of the end of this year is 115, and the number of newly listed companies excluding SPACs (Special Purpose Acquisition Companies) is 91.

In particular, technology special listings totaled 31 companies. This is the first time since the introduction of the technology special listing system in 2005 that the annual number has exceeded 30 companies. The number of companies that applied for technology evaluation, a preliminary step for technology special listing, was 81, the highest since the system was introduced.

The number of companies that applied for preliminary listing examination was 158 (135 excluding SPACs). Especially, the number of companies applying for preliminary listing examination for technology special listing has been around 50 for two consecutive years, showing sustained high listing demand from innovative companies.

The public offering amount through new listings on the KOSDAQ this year was about 3.6 trillion won, an increase of 38.5% compared to the previous year, marking a record high. The company with the largest public offering size was HK Innoen (596.9 billion won). Other companies with public offerings exceeding 100 billion won were two companies: NeoImmuneTech (112.5 billion won) and KTB Network (116 billion won).

Looking at the main features, there were 9 bio companies and 22 non-bio companies, with technology special listing companies diversifying their industries centered on the 4th industrial revolution fields such as artificial intelligence (AI), big data, and metaverse.

Additionally, there were 13 transferred listing companies, marking the highest since the establishment of the KONEX market in July 2013, strengthening the role of the growth ladder. The transferred listing companies moved through various listing tracks such as technology special listing (5 companies), general listing (5 companies), and SPAC merger listing (3 companies).

Along with this, since the implementation of support policies for material, parts, and equipment specialized companies in September 2019, the number of new listings on the KOSDAQ market has significantly increased every year. This year, six companies engaged in secondary battery-related businesses were listed, highlighting the secondary battery industry as a new growth trend.

The investment returns on public offering stocks also recorded an all-time high. Both the proportion of stocks with excess returns compared to the market index and the average excess return rate of newly listed companies recorded the highest in the past 10 years (2012?2021). Comparing the stock price on the 24th with the public offering price, the proportion of stocks that achieved excess returns compared to the KOSDAQ index was 58.1%, and the average excess return rate compared to the KOSDAQ index was 38.5%.

A Korea Exchange official said, "Despite the ongoing COVID-19 situation this year, the number of newly listed companies on the KOSDAQ reached the highest since 2002, and the IPO market continued its high growth trend. The KOSDAQ market will continue to actively support innovative companies with high technology and potential to succeed as the cradle of Korea’s new growth industries."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.