News Snapshot:
Jack Ma’s Ant Group plans to offer zero-interest loans to employees who own illiquid stock options, seeking to boost morale after the company’s landmark initial public offering was suspended in November, people familiar with the matter said. The loans will be backed by eligible employees’ restricted stock options, which will be valued at levels calculated after a 2018 funding round, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing private information. That will allow Ant to give staff access to liquidity without requiring the company to establish a more up-to-date valuation for its shares. The options, known as Share Economic...
