Hong Kong’s Adrian Cheng Pivots to Web3 and ‘Immersive Experiences’

One year after Adrian Cheng resigned as CEO of his family’s Hong Kong property firm, New World Development Co., the mega-collector has announced his next venture: ALMAD Group.

The details of the new business are predictably fuzzy. The announcement reads like Cheng, who will serve as founder and executive chairman, filled out a tech-investment Mad Libs: the company will focus on digital assets, blockchain technologies, and “immersive digital experiences” across entertainment, sports, and media in mainland China, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East.

Related Articles

HONG KONG, CHINA - NOVEMBER 12: Adrian Cheng makes a toast during dinner after the opening ceremony of Festival de Cannes Film Week in Asia at  on November 12, 2019 in Hong Kong, China. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images for Festival de Cannes Film Week in Asia)

“Our mission is clear: to build what the next generation needs and to shape a future economy filled with possibilities,” Cheng, a regular on the annual ARTnews Top 200 Collectors list, said.

More concretely, ALMAD resolved one lingering question from Cheng’s exit from NWD: the fate of K11 by AC, his art-meets-commerce platform. Now absorbed into ALMAD, the business oversaw initiatives such as the K11 Craft and Guild Foundation, devoted to preserving traditional Chinese craftsmanship, and the K11 Art Foundation, which promoted emerging Chinese artists and has staged more than 60 exhibitions across China. Its most visible concept was the K11 Art Malls—about half a dozen spaces in Hong Kong and mainland China that pair luxury retail with exhibitions and large-scale works by contemporary stars like Damien Hirst and Takashi Murakami.

Last year, New World sold the K11 business to Cheng for $26.9 million, a deal that covered leasing, brand marketing, and other “commercial strategic services.” The underlying properties, however, remain with New World, the company told the South China Morning Post.

Cheng stepped down from New World last September after the company reported its first annual loss in two decades—a staggering $2.5 billion. He also withdrew from other family-controlled businesses, including parent company Chow Tai Fook Enterprises, according to Reuters.

The crisis at New World has deepened since then. In June, the real estate giant secured a record $11 billion refinancing package from a consortium of banks to stave off default. The deal was seen as so high-risk that both bankers and government officials worried a collapse could spark a financial crisis: New World holds $40 billion in Hong Kong assets, equal to roughly 10 percent of the city’s GDP, according to Barclays.

With Hong Kong’s property slump dragging on, the company has been pressed to restructure further. Bloomberg reported Monday that New World is in talks with the city’s Airport Authority to cut rent at its 11 Skies mall, part of a government push to develop the airport area as a luxury retail and leisure hub. The developer has also explored selling 11 Skies and other properties, while seeking new investors.

For Cheng, though, those troubles appear to be in the rearview. Cut loose from New World, he is free to chase what he called in his ALMAD announcement the “new frontiers” of the global economy. The NFT and digital-asset frenzy may feel long past, but as always with crypto and blockchain, there is likely another wave coming. After all, there’s always more investment for, in the words of ALMAD’s release, “Web3 financial innovation.” Bitcoin hit a new all-time high just last month.

Source link

Visited 1 times, 1 visit(s) today

Related Article

Super Typhoon Ragasa: Hongkongers rush home ahead of T8 as shutdown begins

Super Typhoon Ragasa: Hongkongers rush home ahead of T8 as shutdown begins

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing now for 50 per cent off during our two-day flash sale. The Hong Kong Observatory has said it will issue the No 8 warning signal 2.20pm on Tuesday as Super Typhoon Ragasa is expected

Map shows path and arrival time (in Philippine Standard Time) of super typhoon Ragasa

Super Typhoon Ragasa live tracker: Hong Kong cancels 700 flights after powerful storm kills three in Philippines

Hong Kong airport warns of ‘significant disruption’ as Ragasa nears Hong Kong airport said it will “continue operations” but warned passengers to expect “significant disruption” to flight operations from 6pm on Tuesday to Wednesday. In a statement issued on Monday evening, the Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) said: “AAHK and the airport community are fully

Smoke rises from the site of the fire at the Tsing Yi recycling site near Stonecutters Bridge. Photo: Sun Yeung

Firefighters battling fire raging for 7 hours at Hong Kong recycling site

Firefighters have been battling a blaze at a recycling site in Hong Kong’s Tsing Yi for about seven hours since it broke out, two days after another fire erupted near the same spot. The Fire Services Department was alerted at 4.12am on Tuesday that a fire had broken out at a recycling site at the

Smoke rises from the site of the fire at the Tsing Yi recycling site near Stonecutters Bridge. Photo: Sun Yeung

Hong Kong firefighters battle fire at Tsing Yi recycling site

Firefighters have been battling a blaze at a recycling site in Hong Kong’s Tsing Yi for about seven hours since it broke out, two days after another fire erupted near the same spot. The Fire Services Department was alerted at 4.12am on Tuesday that a fire had broken out at a recycling site at the

Hong Kong stocks drop after PBOC governor dashes hopes of stimulus measures

Hong Kong stocks drop after PBOC governor dashes hopes of stimulus measures

Hong Kong stocks fell on Tuesday after a high-level briefing on Monday failed to deliver the easing measures some investors had anticipated. The Hang Seng Index lost 0.5 per cent to 26,221.67 as of 9.45am. The Hang Seng Tech Index dropped 1 per cent. On the mainland, the CSI 300 Index gained 0.4 per cent