London Stock Exchange Pushes Back on Allegations It Lowered Standards for Shein’s IPO

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The leader of the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) is pushing back on allegations that it lowered its standards to court fast-fashion titan Shein, which is pursuing a 50-billion-pound ($64 billion) initial public offering (IPO) in the UK.

Shein’s prior plans to list in the U.S. were all but thwarted by Washington lawmakers who urged the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to block the China-founded, Singapore-headquartered firm amid rumblings of a registration early last year, citing concerns about its ties to the Chinese government and alleged use of forced labor.

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The e-tailer played coy about whether the paperwork was ever filed with the SEC, but it appeared to change course and abandon the U.S. exchange in favor of exploring other markets in the ensuing months.

Rumors began swirling about the company setting its sights on London as a viable alternative for listing shares in February, and Reuters reported that Shein confidentially filed papers with Britain’s markets regulator in early June. The group met with the Labour party around that time and secured some support, though opinions were said to be divided.

Now, the London Stock Exchange is under a microscope. LSEG chief executive David Schwimmer told reporters Thursday that “a number of companies have made some indications that they are coming to this market,” adding that he feels “pretty good about the pipeline and the direction of travel.”

Schwimmer pointed to the resolution of the UK general election along with improvements to macroeconomic conditions and capital markets reforms as the factors likely driving interest in UK listings.

While the exchange is undoubtedly buoyed by the rising interest, labor groups and lawmakers have called for an inquest into the human rights concerns swirling around Shein’s ultra-fast supply chain for uber-cheap wares.

Workers producing garments at a textile factory that supplies clothes to Shein in Guangzhou in southern China's Guangdong province on June 11.
Workers producing garments at a textile factory that supplies clothes to Shein in Guangzhou in southern China’s Guangdong province on June 11.

“To be clear, there is no lowering of standards on the London Stock Exchange,” Schwimmer said, according to the Guardian. “The listing approval process goes through the UK listing authority and to the extent that companies meet the requirements—and these are about disclosure around governance, etc.—of the UK listing authority, then they are able to list on the London Stock Exchange and take advantage of the governance regime and disclosure regime that we have.”

“We have found that tends to be very good for companies in terms of having the disclosure and the scrutiny and the investor participating in how they are managed,” he added.

The filing has indeed drawn scrutiny to the UK Financial Conduct Authority, which faces the task of reviewing and approving the listing. Last month, UK-based advocacy organization Stop Uyghur Genocide launched a legal campaign to halt the London listing, engaging its legal counsel to write to the UK Financial Conduct Authority and denounce the IPO.

Lawyers told the Financial Times that the regulator aims to balance Britain’s reputation for strong corporate governance with an openness to global business.

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