China A-Share Divorce Sparks Market Jitters Over 6 Billion Yuan Transfer

A high-profile divorce involving Maxone Semiconductor Suzhou Co's president has triggered concerns among retail investors about corporate governance and share price stability. Zhou Ming, 53, transferred 10.86% of the company's total issued shares to his ex-wife, valued at approximately 6 billion yuan (US$886 million) based on the closing price after the announcement. The transfer is the largest such settlement in China's A-share market this year. Maxone, the first domestic probe card maker listed on Shanghai's Sci-Tech Innovation Board, made the filing less than a year after its IPO in December. The company's shares had surged nearly threefold since debut, reaching a record intraday high of 671 yuan on July 1, but had fallen to 417 yuan by Thursday amid broader tech stock declines. Retail investors fear secondary share-price movements following equity transfers from large shareholders' divorces, though the settlement is not comparable to those of Jeff Bezos or Bill Gates.