Robot maker debuts on HK exchange


Accompanied by a humanoid robot developed by his company, Zhou Jian, chairman and CEO of UBTech Robotics, rings the opening bell at the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on Friday. CHINA DAILY

For the first time in its 132-year history, a humanoid robot rang the opening bell at the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on Friday, floating Shenzhen-based robot developer UBTech Robotics on the bourse for its final initial public offering of 2023.

Said by many to be “China”s first humanoid robot stock”, UBTech Robotics raised more than HK$1 billion ($130 million) on its first day of trading, as many domestic companies race to commercialize their humanoid robots.

According to a guideline unveiled by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, China aims to build an innovation system for humanoid robots by 2025, with breakthroughs to be made in key technologies to ensure the safe and effective supply of core components.

UBTech Robotics’ stock rose 0.94 percent to HK$90.85 on Friday, versus its IPO price of HK$90, giving the company a HK$38 billion market capitalization.

Zhou Jian, chairman and CEO of UBTech Robotics, said, “After going public, we will continue to improve the technological capabilities of humanoid robots, and use innovative technologies to solve major social problems.”

Zhou said the company focuses on three major application scenarios for humanoid robots, including industrial manufacturing, commercial services and as home companions.

Chen Jia, a researcher at the International Monetary Institute of the Renmin University of China, said, “Humanoid robots will be an industry field with great growth potential in the next decade, driven by the latest technological advancements in artificial intelligence.”

The global humanoid robot market is expected to grow at a rate of 52.8 percent per year from 2023 to 2030, according to market research company ReportLinker.

The China Institute of Electronics also forecast that the domestic scale of the market for humanoid robots is expected to reach about 870 billion yuan ($122 billion) by 2030.

However, currently, humanoid robots are still in their very early stages of development. There are shortcomings in the design of humanoid robots, and their functionalities are not in line with the demand of customers. Technological hurdles also exist, said Chen.

The affordability of such robots is another challenge for current market applications, experts added.

The average selling price of the UBTech Robotics Walker series of humanoid robots is about 6 million yuan, compared to its more basic educational robots, which are priced below 15,000 yuan on average.

Due to its heavy R&D investment, the company is still not profitable. Last year, UBTech Robotics recorded more than 1 billion yuan in revenue, with its R&D spend accounting for 42.5 percent. Last year, the company posted a 987-million-yuan net loss.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology released a guideline in November aimed at promoting the development of the humanoid robotics industry.

The guideline said it aims to cultivate two to three globally influential humanoid robotics enterprises, and a group of specialized small and medium-sized enterprises by 2025.

By 2027, China will see a secure and reliable industrial and supply chain system, and related products will be deeply integrated into the real economy, the guideline said.



Source link

Visited 1 times, 1 visit(s) today

Related Article

MicroStrategy Could Be Removed From Major Global Stock Indexes

Michael Saylor’s Bitcoin giant could lose its place in major global stock indexes, potentially forcing investment funds to sell shares even if they still believe in the company. On Thursday, MSCI approved new rules to remove companies that behave more like investment vehicles than operating businesses. Its earlier simulation identified Strategy, formerly MicroStrategy, and Japan’s

Nvidia stock trims losses as chip sell-off eases amid AI financing concerns

Chip stocks pared losses Thursday after concerns over debt-heavy balance sheets triggered a broader AI-driven sell-off on Wall Street. The overall Tech (XLK) sector trimmed declines as investors rotated into defensive sectors and bought up Treasurys, pushing long-dated yields substantially lower. Shares of Nvidia (NVDA) and peer Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) fell roughly 1%, paring

The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. Q3 2026 Earnings Call Summary

The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. Q3 2026 Earnings Call Summary – Moby Strategic Execution and Market Expansion Our analysts just identified a stock with the potential to be the next Nvidia. Tell us how you invest and we’ll show you why it’s our #1 pick. Tap here. Performance was driven by robust client momentum

IBM Has Paid Dividends Since 1916. Here’s Why Retirees Should Pay Attention Now

Quick Read IBM’s $14.7B free cash flow covered dividends at a 42% payout ratio in 2025, but one-cent annual raises since 2020 deliver little real income growth. Cisco raised its dividend 2% backed by $14B in operating cash flow; Oracle froze its payout while burning cash on $28B in capital spending. Just released. Our analysts

Dell Stock Nosedives After Barclays Downgrade

This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Dell Technologies (NYSE:DELL) shares slid about 7% Thursday morning, extending Wednesday’s selloff after Barclays questioned whether AI-server demand can justify the stock’s rally. Barclays analyst Tim Long lowered Dell to Equal Weight from Overweight and cut his price target to $574 from $603. He also downgraded Hewlett Packard Enterprise

DraftKings Is Down 44% in 2026: Is DKNG Stock Dead Money or Due for a Bounce?

Quick Read DraftKings has cratered 44% in 2026 to $19.14 as exchange-based prediction markets steal sports betting share without the licensing costs that burden DKNG. Flutter stock’s 65% collapse dwarfs MGM’s softer 20% drop, exposing pure-play sportsbook operators as the hardest-hit names in gambling. Whether DraftKings’ share of betting handle stabilizes against exchange platforms is

Is American Airlines Stock’s Drop A Chance To Buy?

Image from Pixabay American Airlines (AAL) stock has lost 24.4% since July 16, against a 2.7% gain for the S&P 500. The carrier trails Delta and United on profit, and executives cut their 2026 earnings outlook again in July, citing higher fuel costs. Yet the airline is chasing higher-spending travelers with more premium seats. Investors

Paychex Builds Fortress of Steady Dividend Growth While Stock Struggles

Quick Read Paychex (PAYX) raised its quarterly dividend 10% to $1.19, delivering a 4.4% yield backed by $2.56B in operating cash flow that covers payouts at a 63% ratio. ADP pairs big dividends with buybacks, while Paycom funds $345M in repurchases with new debt, making Paychex the only one centering capital returns on dividend growth.

Why CoreWeave stock panic matters to Nvidia, explained in under 30 seconds

Nvidia (NVDA) CEO Jensen Huang is unlikely to ignore the building pressure on CoreWeave’s (CRWV) stock price and bond values. The simple reason why is that he can’t look the other way given how intertwined Nvidia is with the most well-known — and debated — neocloud. For one, in January of this year Nvidia announced

Warburg Pincus CEO Says Investors See Public Markets as One Big Bet

Oura IPO oversubscribed Wall Street stock market trading floor. Photo by BeInCrypto Warburg Pincus CEO Jeffrey Perlman, whose private equity firm backs more than 200 portfolio companies, says investors see public markets as one concentrated, correlated bet. He argues that pushes capital toward private assets. The pitch comes from a firm that calls the initial

0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x