Special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs, or “blank check” companies), which are shell companies set up with the sole purpose of raising funds through an initial public offering (IPO) to acquire an existing target company, have seen a dramatic rise in the past year. High levels of liquidity and persistently low interest rates, coupled with a growing appetite among investors for higher-yielding investment opportunities, have fuelled the rising interest in SPACs. According to resource website SpacInsider, which tracks these investment vehicles, 248 SPAC IPOs were completed in the last year alone, raising US$83 billion, compared with 216 from 2009 to 2019. This article discusses the features of SPACs, its benefits and risks, trends in Asia as well as the future for SPACs in Singapore.
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