Alibaba is planning a China listing by mid-2018 via the use of Chinese depositary receipts

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding is planning a mainland listing via depositary receipts that could come as early as the middle of this year, Thomson Reuters unit IFR reported, citing a person with knowledge of the matter.

China has been looking for ways to lure home its offshore-listed tech giants such as Alibaba, giving Chinese investors more access to the fast-growing firms that have traditionally opted to list overseas or in Hong Kong.

Any listing would use so-called China depositary receipts (CDRs), similar to American depositary receipts, which while not technically shares, are certificates that allow investors to hold shares listed elsewhere.

Reuters reported earlier this month, citing sources, that China’s securities regulator was likely to finalise guidelines for CDRs in the second half of this year.

“The new rules on CDRs may be introduced as soon as the end of next month,” the person told IFR. “So the first batch of issuers may launch CDRs as soon as the middle of this year.”

Alibaba, which has a market capitalisation of US$473 billion, currently has a listing in the United States.