Xiaomi Denies Authorization of ICO Token That Pegs to Its IPO

Smartphone maker Xiaomi said it has not authorized and has no connections to an initial coin offering scheme that is selling a token which is said to peg to Xiaomi's stock price in its upcoming initial public offering.

The Chinese smartphone maker is currently scheduled to go public on the main board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on July 9.

Aiming to raise $4.7 billion, Xiaomi's IPO is seen as one of the most notable public offerings in Hong Kong this year.

A Russia-based blockchain investment firm called Blackmoon announced on June 22 that it is offering a token called BMxXMI, whose price will be pegged to Xiaomi's stock price following its IPO on a dollar-for-dollar basis.

According to a report from the South China Morning Post on Tuesday, Xiaomi stated it has no knowledge of the scheme at all and did not approve or endorse the token offering project.

According to Blackmoon's website, by contributing to the ICO with bitcoin, ethereum and litecoin, investors will be able to get exposure to Xiaomi's stock performance without having to directly own the underlying equity.

Blackmoon said it will convert the proceeds raised from the ICO into fiat currencies and transfer to its brokers, who will subsequently purchase Xiaomi's stocks from the secondary market on investors' behalf.

After an initial 93-day lock-up period, the company said investors holding BMxXMI could sell the token through brokers again who would execute sell orders of the stocks on the exchange.

Blackmoon has not disclosed details of the brokers who reportedly will act on investors' behalf such as their names and whether they are licensed broker and dealer to participate in the Hong Kong financial market.

The company has not yet responded to CoinDesk's request for details.